


Disarm

by stereosleeper



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror, M/M, Romance, Suspense, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-03
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2017-10-10 09:03:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 103,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/97965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stereosleeper/pseuds/stereosleeper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something brought Naruto through the blizzard, against the monsters, and into the arms of Konoha. Now he must fight the horrors of his past to survive the horrors of the future.  Military AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rating: Teen going on Mature  
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Naruto nor am I making any profit from this project, but I do hold claim to the plot, locations, and events. I do not have experience in the military, monster-fighting, or in defying the laws of physics. I just wrote a story about it.  
> Genre: Urban Fantasy, Military Action/Adventure, Romance, Horror  
> Warnings: Violence, gore, swearing, supernatural, romance between two dudes (oh no)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some terms may be unfamiliar to readers and will explained at the end of the chapters. I learned a lot from writing this and certain points are easier to explain in author’s notes than in context.

“Shit." Naruto cursed to himself and pounded the four-wheel drive setting again just on principle, because it wasn't getting him anywhere, damn it.

The Jeep Cherokee trudged too slowly through the snow which almost piled up to the top of his tires by now. The exhausted wipers could only allow him a glimpse of the frozen hell beyond before being covered in snow again. When he could see past the residue, it was so unnaturally dark out that Naruto had to check to make sure his high beams where on.

The dark didn't bother him nearly as much as the sick feeling clogging up his throat, or the way his ribs would burst under the violence of his heartbeat. He’d done stupid things before, but this? Deserved a cake with so much icing it would have its own cake on top.

"This blows," he sang to himself and eased on the gas again, toes clenched together in apprehension. Stranded in a snowstorm. And lost. And cold.

The tires whirred angrily against the white barricade, and Naruto felt their defeat the moment he was suddenly jerked against the seatbelt.

"Shit," he said once more with feeling. More pressure on the gas only made the tires spin faster and compact the snow.

He set the vehicle in park while he fiddled with the heat settings, letting the engine run for a little longer. The noise of a battle-hardened ally soothed him as the radio could not – he had no signal anyway.

Brushing his bangs off his sweaty forehead, Naruto burrowed in his pocket and checked his cell phone. The screen stayed black, and he cursed. Searching for signal must have worn out the battery.

Nerves tingling with trepidation, Naruto threw the gadget at the passenger seat, not caring when it bounced off and slid to the floor. He leaned fully against the worn fabric seats and took in a deep shuddering breath. The wipers were still doing their best but no longer had the advantage of motion to help clear the windshield, and were his high beams even on dammit, why couldn't he see anything?

The air was burning at his eyes and throat and he would run out of gas this way, but Naruto left the air on high. If he had to stay the night right here in this cold, he would probably die.

His options sank in. Stay here and wait out the storm, or get out and hope he was near civilization? He doubted that, since the storm started an hour back and even then the lonesome terrain kept habitations to a minimum. Also there was a freak storm outside his metal door. Guess he’d have to stay… but that thought made him incredibly uneasy. The darkness beyond was thick with… something.

Naruto sighed.

Then something moved.

Naruto did not hear it clearly, certainly did not see it, but the crunch against the snow was a fraction louder than the engine and his heart must have dislodged itself when he realized his mistake. He did not even have the presence of mind to think profanities as he stubbed his fingers trying to turn the engine off. There was a second where he strained to hear it again, hoping he wouldn’t. It could be a friendly face, coming by with assistance, but the clenching of his gut announced the approach of something huge and something bad.

Crrrunch.

Footsteps? Something alive was out there, and it was coming for him. He knew whatever it was, it was probably unfriendly. Naruto looked around frantically, scanning for something to protect him. He had his textbooks and a utility knife somewhere. He winced. Not a good start. Wait… there was a ski pole, maybe lost somewhere in the trunk; he hadn't seen that thing in ages.

Ccccrr, ccccrunch.

He briefly considered trying his luck in the dark and blizzard conditions. Naruto’d probably die just as quickly from natural causes then whatever was approaching. Fight was useless, but flight would only kill him faster. He could not leave the car. Not when he didn't even have a fucking clue what he was dealing with.

Thump, crrrrrrrr, thump.

Despite his racing thoughts Naruto stayed frozen and breathed deeply. He prayed against hope that this was all his imagination, that he could do something, that maybe -

Cruuuunch, thump, thump –

Something slammed into the passenger side of the car with enough force to tilt the car onto two wheels.

Even before his car was back on all four, Naruto was undoing his seatbelt and throwing himself to the center of the vehicle in a panic. Nearly swallowing his heart, he tried to catch a glimpse out the window. Still black, and no dent. Had he just been hit by a car?! The impact certainly felt like it. But cars didn’t have footsteps.

Shivering and sweating, Naruto laid there awkwardly, staring at the blinded windows and waiting.

Crunch, crunch. The sound rotated around him.

It's circling the car, he thought.

He scrambled into the back, sitting with his back to the front seats and trying to stay as still as possible once he was there. Not many places to hide.

Ccccrrrr crrrr THUD.

It hit again, but from the driver's side. The car tilted a little farther than before but regained balance. Naruto watched his possessions fly across the darkness and only prayed that he would have a stroke of genius, or it would give up, or something, because seriously, what the hell?

He’d have plenty of time to pity himself later if he got out of this. Naruto shivered. Where would it attack next? Cars were engineed to resist crashes, their structures were meant to resist damage or fold inward with it. So then the weakest point would be…

The windows.

The steps had moved from the driver’s side toward the back, and though the loud wind outside made things hazy, there weren’t any footsteps beyond that. Naruto’s eyes grew wide. The back glass was the biggest and easiest accessible. He sank further behind the seats. Hopefully the snow would be good for something and hide him from v-

Smash!

The glass shattered inward and despite his distance Naruto still felt a shard slash across his forehead. He was so frozen with apprehension that he did not even flinch.

For the shards to fly so far and fast meant there was an incredible force powering them, and Naruto caught a glimpse before it retreated – a dirt white paw with four elongated claws, so filthy Naruto felt a rage brew behind his disgust and despair – before being replaced with a crystalline ebony orb. It filmed over briefly as it blinked, its eyelid thin and crusted. There was a deep rumbling breath. The eye roved over the inside of the Jeep, trying to locate the flash of muted yellow it had glimpsed -

Naruto barely breathed as he lay hidden behind the back seats, cheek digging into the floor.

The creature made a guttural snort.

Smash!

Naruto knew it had shattered the entire window when he felt the bitter cold roll over him despite his cover, and from the muffled desperate noise of one's hopes literally smashed into pieces. His eyes took in his restricted view while his hands and toes grew numb from cold and dread. There was no light from the sky that could penetrate the shield of snow, and everything was happening so fast... but he could still make sense of it all. In the gloom he heard the creature snorting angrily as it tried to heave itself through, and he saw the silhouettes of the passenger and driver's seats looming above him, the glint of the metal lodged underneath them…

And Naruto knew then that he had a chance, if he was fast enough. A chance to kill it - before it killed him.

As silently but steadily as he dared Naruto gripped the skiing pole and worked it free from underneath the seat, all too aware of the car dipping backward, the creature climbing in, the flakes gusting in, and time pressing against his skull. Once it was pried loose he stealthily rose, turned, and crouched low on all fours, makeshift weapon firmly in hand.

The beast was getting angry, and expressed its opinion of this elusive prey by slashing at the car's upholstery and letting loose a grotesque roar. It was almost completely inside. Naruto waited, his breathing even despite his mad pulse and fought back the hysteria that was building in him – until finally, much later but too soon the back of the car dipped again with the creature's full weight.

Judging the car's size, the length of the pole, and the estimated features of the creature, Naruto knew he had limited range and even more limited time. Do it now. Do it now. Now, so why won't his muscles move, fuckfuckfuck, move, he needs to act now -

Ripping out the claws of horror keeping him still, Naruto threw himself over the back seats and aimed in the middle of motion as he stabbed the sharpened end of the pole directly in the beast's right eye. It ruptured with a sick splurt and Naruto had less than a second to pull the metal rod out and shove himself back, back, fuck, before the creature registered what had transpired and gave a might roar, shaking its head furiously from side to side, thrashing its whole body and rocking the car. Its remaining eye flew wildly in its socket until it landed on the hated yellow. The beast charged.

Naruto slammed to the floor of the vehicle and twisted his wrist in his determination to hang on to the pole, but paid his injuries no heed as he lunged for the nearest door and please god, don't let him have locked them.

With the beast snapping its glistening rotten fangs over his head, Naruto had only a split second to manage the door handle and throw himself head first into the frozen winds outside. Of course he could not move that fast, and he felt the jaws sink into his right shoulder and almost had time to shiver in disgust over the raw heat of them before the pain set in. He felt them sink through flesh and grate bone before gravity ripped them free - Naruto was already falling out of the Jeep, body twisted and shocked but thrumming, while the creature was trapped by the headrests of the seats and confines of the car.

Diving into the biting snow neck first with a muffled thud, Naruto did not allow his body a second of rest. Pulling himself up with difficulty he unsteadily rose to his feet and trudging through the now waist-high snow backward, he tried to focus on the creature clawing itself free of the car. He was nearly blind. Through the gale of snow hindering his vision, he could see its jaws twitching to devour the rest of him, the beast's frantic claws momentarily useless in its bloodlust and agony. Though his head swam unpleasantly Naruto remained steady and raised the ski pole like a javelin, ready to defend.

The creature leaped for him the second it cleared the metal frame, bounding through the depths of snow in two leaps, gaping eye socket a darkening red and getting closer, closer. Naruto's thoughts, long since silent, erupted in a swell of panic as he drew his arm back and -

A shot tore through the mute soundtrack of his demise, and what must have been an eternity later, a shower of blood sprayed from the left side of the creature's head. Agonized and beyond rage, the creature whirled to identify the sudden attack – a shadow flickering between snowflakes so, so far away - and tensed to leap through the cutting snow when three more bullets, one by one, fought through the creature's fur and skull and buried themselves in its brain.

Then it was quiet.

Naruto did not release his position even as the creature, nearly invisible among the camouflage of the snow, tilted sideways and fell with a resolute thunk. Its long pointed tongue peeked through the slightly open muzzle as blood spread like a disease down its jaw. The packed snow beneath it instantly turned from red to pink.

He breathed in. He dropped his arm and straightened out, mentally holding off his weariness, afraid of a trick.

That thing can't be dead. His mind had screamed DANGER DANGER DANGER for far too for it to shut up now.

It wasn't dead.

He observed it now, detached and disbelieving, unmindful of the shuffling coming closer. Finally he knew his bestial attacker. The creature was about the size of a large polar bear, but leaner and with considerably more muscle underneath a thick hide, and darkened white fur and grimy grey claws about four inches long. Its muzzle was slightly more elongated than an arctic bear's and the fangs were three inches at their shortest. Every part of it was stained with soggy filth, blood, and a few shards of glass. Its last eye was at half-mast and still eerily glossy, looking straight at him. It was gathering strength. It was -

It wasn't -

Another powerful shot was heard, and the creature twitched as the bullet found the center of the face. The bone cracked and its blood and fur showered the snow around it. For a split second it was a beautiful red frame, then it was lost in the storm.

It was dead.

"Feel better now?" A voice shouted over the wind.

Naruto turned to the man that had saved him, acknowledged the shotgun, and shrugged.

"Not really."

He couldn't hold out any longer, so he fell forward knee-first into the snow and would have been content to die in its warmth.


	2. Chapter 2

During bursts of consciousness Naruto would occasionally recognize the moan of an engine and the fighting of tires before relapsing into sleep.

In one short bout of awareness, Naruto's head bounced to the side and he glimpsed a tall monument standing alone in the blizzard. A brilliant light flashed before dying, and his shoulder tingled. He slept again.

Hours or seconds later, Naruto's mind registered human voices.

"-know," a voice muttered. "Nearly took out the Guard by himself."

"Nearly," another one shot back. Darker, lower, and not amused. "Everyone gets lucky once in a while."

Naruto didn’t care enough to struggle against exhaustion.

Much later there was pressure on his shoulder, then a sting, and then mind shattering pain. The blinding white angry spikes then dulled into a mute red almost instantly, now only tingling irritably. Naruto's back was stiff and every part of him seemed to be sore, but his brain urged him to identify his surroundings before his hurts.

Keeping his eyes closed and his breathing regular, Naruto listed intently to understand his situation. Sharp footsteps echoed away, paused, and the creak of a door was heard before the footsteps were cut off with a click.

Nothing but the beeping of machines kept him company in this cold room, and the silence made him remember.

Naruto's eyes snapped open, much to his instant regret. Once the vivid colors in his vision faded away and his retinas seemed ready for round two, he opened them again much slower. The bright lights above him lit up the whole white room, giving him the instant impression of being immersed in a glacier.

He was in some kind of medical examination room. It was decently small, only large enough to fit his impersonal bed and a long table against the wall with a few things in between. There sat a laptop, a box of kim wipes, and more odds and ends that were a staple in most hospital rooms. There was an instrument stand beside his bed with other various bits. Looking down he found Holter monitor patches clinging to him, the myriad of cables leading to a machine nearby. He ripped them off his chest.

Naruto checked his shoulder, pushing back a pad of taped-on gauze. His skin was freshly sewn into an angry red line overlapped with separate black wires tying his skin together. It looked disgusting in its deformed, molded state, and Naruto could clearly see how it dipped inwards. Obviously his lost flesh was irreplaceable. Though the muted jabs of pain were still there, he found he could ignore it if his attention was properly occupied. The rest of him thrummed unpleasantly, but was still triumphantly working.

Taking stock of the rest of his injuries, Naruto found he was alright to sit up.

I'm still alive, he thought, and let that sink in like the cold of the tile underneath his feet. How, though… his mind went rampant. He must be in a hospital. How had they found him? Who had saved him? How could he explain the monster responsible for all this? He was going to be questioned, and held back, and sent back to…

Naruto shuddered. He didn’t want to stay here. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, his calves hitting the metal frame. They were bitterly cold, like the rest of him. The flimsy hospital gown he was wearing didn't help much. Rubbing his freezing fingers, Naruto set his first quest: to find his clothes, damn it.

He checked the cabinets and cupboards around the room but did not expect much. They were filled with various jars and materials and instruments, while there were no charts or notes lying about to help clue Naruto in. With a soft sigh Naruto padded towards the only door in the room, bare of any window. He tried the handle – it was unlocked. Hesitating, he thought things through. Shouldn’t he stay here?

Oh, what the hell. Things couldn't get much weirder. He opened the door and squeezed out.

He was expecting a long white hall like in those movies he saw of mental hospitals, and he was not disappointed - save the colour of the walls was beige. Door after door went on down the hall.

Clothes could be kept in a storage room, a recovery room, or, if they were courteous enough, a laundry room. He had no idea of the locations of these places, obviously, nor did he have a clue as to the size of this establishment. On the lookout for any possibilities, Naruto checked each door he came across. None had windows but all had plaques beside them; they read M03, M05, M07, and so on. Sometimes Naruto heard movement behind the doors and rushed by, and luckily no one emerged into the hallway.

Fueled by curiosity and discomfort he continued until he reached the end of the hall, which diverged into two opposite directions at a forty-five degree angle. He quirked an eyebrow at the architecture but was preoccupied by where the hell was he. This did not resemble any hospital.

He must have been wandering for a good twenty minutes! And no one had even had the decency to pop up and detain him, or something. He couldn’t make a dash for it when he was practically naked. The storm would freeze his junk off. Sighing he decided to go right because eh, why not, and continued to look for whatever seemed like a good idea. Then the new hall ended and gave him another choice between right or left. The walls were still beige and the plaques still numbered with an M in front.

Naruto stopped short. Damn it all, this place was an ice cube and he couldn't feel his toes and he was seriously lost, what kind of drunk architect designed this place? It was just a mess of hallways, seemingly branching off indefinitely.

I should just set the place on fire, Naruto thought angrily, and set off to search again. The pat-pat-pat of his thinly-socked feet (hospitals were not known for their comfortable clothing lines) accompanied him.

Another hallway intersection. The walls changed color. Naruto blinked, looking about. They were light blue now, and the plaques read -

A double door opened ahead and someone saw him immediately, stopping short. Naruto decided to jump in first.

"Alright, where the hell are my pants?"

He stood defiant and practically naked in front of several individuals.

"Um," said someone.

LATER

Naruto happily wiggled his toes in the provided boots, cushioned by wool socks.

The tall man didn't look over at him, just peered sleepily at the book open in front of him. He was slouched forward slightly, and one hand had disappeared in his pocket after handing over some garments. Behind a changing screen Naruto had adorned black pants and a long sleeved black shirt with a scoop neck. He was considerably warmer.

The man before him had been part of the group that had, er, accosted him and led him to a supply room of sorts after Naruto’s insistence. Many shifty glances between them were had, and none of his questions answered. How they managed to not get lost in this maze, he didn’t know. Actually, he had a lot more questions. He turned to the man who was wholly engrossed in his book.

“So, who are you? And where am I?”

The man’s eye flickered up to him. Eye, singular, because the other was hidden behind an eyepatch. His mouth, too, was covered by a surgical mask. He had crazy long silver hair that defied gravity in places and his posture was terrible.

“Hmmmm,” said the man, and continued to slouch over his book.

Waiting for something more substantial, Naruto scowled. “What kind of answer is that? Oh, wait, are you some top secret agent? You don’t have clearance to tell me all your secret plots, right? And this is the secret facility where you’ll pat me on the back and secretly release me. Right?”

Because this was certainly not a hospital.

The man seemed to be smiling, which was quite something. The motion of his lips curling was invisible but his cheeks rose and his eye was almost completely closed.

The door flew open and a blonde woman strode through while followed by a young woman with pink hair. The blonde's attention immediately fell on Naruto, and he looked back at her squarely. This was a harder feat than expected, she had a gigantic chest that Naruto really didn’t know how he avoided staring at.

She stomped over with shoulders squared and her back straight. Her authority practically oozed off her and dripped to the floor. Long blonde hair was tied into two low pigtails. There was an odd blue diamond marking on her forehead and a necklace dangling from her slender neck, resting contently on her great chest - only partially covered by her strange black and green fold-over shirt. She forcibly turned him around and pushed down the cloth of his shirt. She appraised his shoulder momentarily, and tugged the clothing over it again.

“How do you feel?”

His head had started to throb unpleasantly and he was still cold. A certain sickness was only kept away by Naruto's firm dismissal of it.

“Could be better.” He cocked his head.

The woman checked his pulse and Naruto stared back at his… what, saviors? "What am I doing here? What’s happening?"

The pink haired woman shifted on her feet and glanced at the older woman then back at him. "We took you in to care for your injuries. Once we have assured your identity and your safe transport, you will be escorted back home."

"Trans-" Naruto froze, eyes wide. "Oh my god my car!"

The woman winced. "Ah, yes. Then we will see what we can do to have another one provided for you."

“Another one? You mean… please tell me it's not just sitting around collecting snow back there… all my stuff…”

The woman looked at him almost pityingly. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid Kakashi was too busy trying to rush you to safety to bother with relocating your car."

Startled, Naruto turned to the still silent man. His one eye rose to meet Naruto's. He hesitated and softly said, "Thank you."

Kakashi closed his eye in what Naruto somehow understood to be acceptance. "You didn't need much saving. You did just fine."

Turning away, Naruto sighed sadly and thought of his possessions still in there, probably lost in the freak storm. What was he going to say?

"So what happened then? And where is this place?" he directed the question at the smaller woman.

She shrugged. "Not far from where we found you."

Naruto rolled his eyes so hard that his head dipped back. He saw Kakashi and the blonde exchange looks.

"…Okay. Well, I still need to get my stuff from my car. I want to leave as soon as the storm dies down."

The blonde woman grinned, amused at a situation Naruto did not understand. "Of course. Just give us some information and you'll be on your way. We will escort you to your car to scavenge what you can, then get you home.”

The pink haired girl walked up with a clipboard. "Name?"

Naruto looked at her again and paused, considering. This seemed to be some military group, or at least some organization with authority. He had definitely come across something he shouldn’t have, and they were trying to cover their asses. Maybe he should lie to avoid problems… but then again, they surely had the resources to verify that.

"Naruto Uzumaki," he said eventually.

The pink haired woman jotted it down, asking for him to spell it, but the blonde looked up quickly. “Uzumaki?" she repeated. "As in, the charge of Orochimaru?"

All eyes were on Naruto. He shrugged. "Yeah, my godfather."

The woman considered him. "I know Orochimaru well." She said slowly. "Do you happen to know a Jiraiya?"

Naruto scratched his head. "Oh yeah, that old perv. I know him a bit, I guess. Comes over to talk to Orochimaru and leer at the girls down the street. How do you know-"

She smiled again and interrupted him. "Well, that was a nice coincidence. Please help Sakura with the rest of the information while I arrange your affairs."

She turned and left, with Kakashi following a few moments later. Naruto wondered if this apparent connection would keep Orochimaru from skinning him alive.

The girl – Sakura? How fitting – went back to her instructions. "Occupation?"

"College student."

She smiled at him. "On winter break, right?” Her eyes were a lovely green. Naruto nodded at them.

"Hmm," she said, and jotted it down. "Address?"

ELSEWHERE

"Jiraiya?" Tsunade clutched the receiver.

"Uuugh, hello?" the man on the other line grumbled. It was early.

"Listen. We have a situation." Tsunade clicked her fingernails against her desk. "We found a certain someone here. Someone you know."

"…Go on."

"Naruto Uzumaki."

She heard the man breathe in. "Holy shit. No.”

“Holy shit, yes.”

“I knew he was off somewhere because his communications were silent, but how in the hell did he end up-- where you are?”

“Drove through the storm, ended up -”

“How? It doesn’t reach far enough to hit a road!”

Tsunade clicked her nails again. “Who knows. He must have been pulled.”

“So how’d you find him?”

“A Guard found him first.” Before Jiraiya could interrupt with surprise she went on. “He practically killed the thing himself with a ski pole before Kakashi’s patrol neutralized it.”

Heavy breathing on the other line. “There’s – that’s – what a hell of a coincidence.”

“I want to keep him.”

She heard a yelp. "What? Listen, Orochimaru will flip if he finds out Naruto had anything to do with this. He was never supposed to even know about you. Just send him home. At least with Orochimaru he’s safer than with you."

Tsunady grimaced. "Dammit man, you know what's at stake here! He's got what we need. We can train him. He has potential, it's obvious.”

Jiraiya moaned. "And dangerous. …Look, after all that’s happened, letting Naruto near there...” he sighed. “Not to mention Orochimaru won’t be happy. He'll pull every trick he knows to have Naruto back."

"Worried about his safety, I'm sure," Tsunade laughed scornfully. "Your foolish trust aside - I know, but this cannot be avoided. He stays here.” She took a breath. "And I demand your presence here in a week's time. We'll be watching for you."

His curses were cut off abruptly as she hung up. The leather chair crinkled as she sat back, massaging her brow. Stillness settled.

“I won’t let your sacrifices go to waste,” she whispered to the empty office. ”But I need him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holter monitor: a portable heart monitor and recording device, used to detect heart rhythms over the course of 24 to 48 hours. Usually sent home with the patient.


	3. Chapter 3

He slammed down the phone ferociously, just short of splitting the plastic. His breaths came in ragged and painful. The message echoed in his head.

"…To notify you of the temporary change in arrangements. Naruto Uzumaki is requested –"

In a fit of rage the man swept everything off his desk in one brutal arc, but the commotion did nothing to settle his mood.

So he had returned to that place.

He was out of his grasp.

And - worst of all -

He was in danger.

ELSEWHERE

He had been through enough that as soon as he was assigned a room Naruto threw himself into bed. The bunching of sweaters inside a cold vehicle was nothing compared to a mattress. He pulled the blanket against him tighter than the darkness and arched his back a bit, stretching in an attempt to alleviate the stiffness.

Soon this would all be past him. His shoulder was better already – he had carelessly plucked out the stitches just before disappearing under the comforter – and he'd be out of this damned white cold. He'd get his stuff and run on home, forgetting this frigid place. Naruto buried himself further into the unexpectedly comfortable bedding.

He could go back home.

The thought didn't warm him as much as he hoped, and he pulled the blanket closer still, ignoring the soft creak of the door.

The next morning Naruto woke up disoriented. His feet were never to the door and his walls were never brown – but he instantly remembered and shook his head to clear the memory. Yawning and groggy, he got out of bed anyway and dressed in yesterday’s black clothes. It's not like he wanted to drag this out any longer.

Just as he approached the door, it opened and a brunet man popped his head in to see if Naruto was awake.

"Ah, good morning. I’m Iruka and I’m assigned to help you around. Would you like some breakfast to face the day?" The man's eyes were a warm brown and his small smile made the funny scar running across his nose bend slightly.

Naruto instantly came to like that homely face. "Uh, I guess? Um, please. Thank you?" He scratched his head in confusion.

The man smiled a little wider and motioned for Naruto to follow. They padded down the brown corridor – some sort of dormitory or sleeping quarter – uninterrupted. Naruto introduced himself but couldn’t think of much else to say while Iruka led them further toward the end of the hallway. From here the halls curved left and right with what seemed like a mess hall or cafeteria before him. Off to the side he could see other doors and other long hallways.

Inside was a typical cafeteria, dominated by metal tables and college-style buffet and store off to the side. Returning with trays of food they chose a place to sit and Naruto took his chance to look around. The few occupants wore similar standard-issue black fatigues with green flak jackets and vests. It was hard to miss that these were all soldiers.

“Is this some sort of military facility?” Naruto asked, breaking the silence.

Iruka nodded. “Exactly that.”

“Doing what?”

The man just smiled. Naruto studied him further. He had a handsome square face, marred by an odd but not unattractive scar that spanned most of his face's width. His longish hair was tied back into a high ponytail that stuck out everywhere, reminding Naruto of his own untamable mop.

“You guys all practice to be evasive, or what?”

Iruka laughed softly. "It's not recommended practice to throw away details to kids – uh, civilians.”

"Kid? Hey! I'm nineteen, you geezer." He stuck out his tongue at the man who did not seem older than thirty, then realized that probably didn't help his quest for information. "I mean. It's hard to imagine having anything to do out here."

At Iruka’s answering smile, Naruto pouted and scooped up more food. "Okay. Well I guess I’ll be out of here soon enough that it won’t matter.”

Iruka checked something in his vest pocket. "As soon as we're done here, we have the okay to head out."

Naruto spooned too many eggs into his mouth as an answer.

While they finished eating Naruto looked around some more. Upon closer inspection, Naruto saw the soldiers all wore a symbol somewhere on their clothing, identifiable from a distance - a simplistic leaf composed of a spiral. Most wore it as a thread badge on their shoulders or engraved on a slab of metal attached to their clothing. Iruka wore his own symbol on the strange metal bandanna wrapped about his right arm.

His musings stopped as Iruka fished out the device from his pocket again. He frowned at what Naruto assumed was a smartphone. "Are you done eating?" He motioned with his chin to the scattered food left on Naruto's plate. Naruto nodded. “Looks like we’re meeting with the lieutenant general first.”

Naruto’s eyebrows disappeared into his hair at the rank, but he didn’t comment. They stood up and collected their plates, dumping them off at the end of the room on a rotary dish belt. They walked out confidently with Naruto ignoring the few stares directed his way. He tried not to feel like the new kid at school being escorted by a teacher, but no success.

As they walked, Naruto was starting to recognize the dimensions and architecture of the building. The large hallways seemed to all branch off from circular area which contained the mess hall and possibly other rooms. Each large branch was interconnected by a few smaller hallways, and a few of them led outside, heavily guarded by man and machine alike. The colour of the hallway indicated its purpose, or to provide some other way of recognizing where you were. Overall the skeleton of the building should be star-shaped.

The two stopped in a navy blue hallway and went inside one of the rooms. It was a meeting room furnished with a rectangular table and chairs and a large flat screen television mounted to the farthest wall. Tsunade and Kakashi were seated, awaiting them. One of them was the lieutenant general, and he doubted it was Kakashi. Naruto looked at Tsunade with new respect, finally seeing a rank insignia demurely sitting on her vest. He took a seat as he was bid and looked around questioningly.

"Kakashi!" Naruto said surprised. He had expected nameless faces to appear and disappear in a flash. Somehow, the consistency was unexpected.

The man in question looked up briefly, then returned to his small red book. He was slouching as always but raised a hand in greeting. “Yo,” he said.

“Naruto,” Tsunade started, cutting off any more of his chatter. “We have been unable to locate your car. Furthermore, we are considering to have you extend your stay.”

Naruto blinked as he processed that. "What?" He said.

She looked across at him with hard eyes. "This is a top-secret facility, Naruto. You and I both know you have seen some strange things.” Here Naruto started to suspect they really would detain him. “So we have an offer for you.”

Naruto made a point of eyeballing the door. “Actually, I’d really rather just go home, thanks. All I ask is for you to uphold your promise and take me to my car!”

Iruka frowned. "Naruto, this is a difficult thing you ask of us. Weather interference means our towers and signals can only do so much to locate an immobile, hidden scrap of metal. If it were our own vehicle with trackers, it would be different, but as it is we can’t afford to drive around blindly. Not to mention the damage must be extensive. You’ll never make it home and even if you tried, you won’t find your way back. I don't know where you intended to go but don't tell me you weren't lost when we found you."

Naruto could feel his blood burning as his voice rose. "Then YOU drive me back! You were about to drive me to my car, right? Then just drive me all the way! You can’t hold me here just for having the bad luck of – of – almost dying!"

Iruka, Kakashi, and Tsunade glanced at each other.

"We cannot do that," Tsunade said as she eyed him steadily. Her face was completely serious but Iruka looked uncomfortable, and Kakashi was back in his book. That pissed Naruto off more than anything; as if he was being disregarded even when imprisoned.

"WHY NOT," Naruto said loudly, but did not shout. His nails dug into his palms as he leaned forward. He was furious, and he was scared. He didn’t know what was happening or what it implied, but he knew he didn’t like it.

Tsunade was starting to lose her temper and jabbed a painted nail at him. "Listen you brat, we're not here at your disposal, alright? We have business of our own to attend to! You should consider yourself grateful we took care of you!" A vein started to pulse against her forehead.

"Grateful, oh yeah," Naruto said, eyes scrunched into slits. "I am so thankful you dragged me out here, then kept me against my will. I would have been fine if you’d never found me at all!" His voice rose along with his temper.

To his surprise, none of them scoffed his claim away. He heard Kakashi shift and say calmly, "Yes. That's why we need you, Naruto."

Naruto looked at him. His chest felt hollow even as his heart hammered. "Is this what this is really about?" he said. “Is this about you knowing Orochimaru? Because that’s a really stupid reason to keep me hostage.”

Iruka sighed. "Naruto," he implored the teen, "We'll explain everything. Please just calm down. We really tried to save your car, and - at first we were going to take you home, okay? But… well, we called Orochimaru, and even he agreed - we need you here."

Naruto breathed in deeply, now confused. What on earth was going on? Orochimaru, who always took Naruto's safety personally, would never let him stay in this military-like base. If he had really agreed…

He was usually cheerful by default, often even out of spite, but Naruto was capable of being threatening. “I won’t consider your offer until you tell me the truth.”

Tsunade spoke as Kakashi turned a page, clearing her throat first. "We are Konoha, a government-affiliated military organization that deals with more… sensitive threats. What we’re doing here –“ she swept an arm out –“is in the entire world’s best interest.” Naruto raised an eyebrow as she continued. "What you encountered two days ago was a Guard, a hybrid of certain animal released to hinder our movements. Even a trained soldier only has a fifty percent chance of survival on their own. Our numbers are few because our missions are dangerous and our training is selective and rigorous. We need every person we can get. You… Naruto, you fought one off and killed it singlehandedly. With a ski pole.”

Naruto felt more and more trapped. “So? Now you want me to put on a cape and help you… save the world, just because I was lucky?”

Iruka grimaced. "No. Naruto, don't mock this, please. What we’re against does have designs to invade and dominate. But it’s so much worse. Don't tell me you've ever seen Guards before. A certain group created those things, Naruto. Those Guards were regular creatures once. This group… Akatsuki, they are called - they do the same for humans, Naruto. Their strength matches ours, and we are the only ones containing them here.”

Tsunade, Kakashi and Iruka were all watching Naruto carefully. He felt the small world of this room threaten to crush him. “But why me –“ he started.

“Like we said, you are special. You have what it takes to help us fight them. Yes, we will pay and train you.”

"Special?" Naruto glared at them all. "Okay, pretending that I actually believe all this; what? Cut the crap. You've got plenty of people here, you don't need me."

"Naruto," Tsunade said almost kindly. "You dislocated your shoulder and had a chunk taken out of it too. It healed in a day.” Tsunade sighed and looked at him critically. “You've always known you were different, haven't you?"

Naruto grit his teeth. "I don't see what my… what I have to do with this!"

Tsunade whispered, "Everything." And upon seeing Naruto's darkening expression, she added quickly. "But you're not alone."

"Huh?"

"There is another here, like you. And there are more… few, but more."

"You’re making me sound like a mutant!"

Tsunade raised a flippant hand. “Not my intention. All I meant-“

"We call you Carriers." Kakashi interrupted.

Naruto turned to him in surprise yet again. "Carriers?"

"Yes. You 'carry' something special inside of you, something that allows your body to heal at unbelievable rates… and gives you the energy to carry you through a week without sleep. You probably hold other unique abilities that we don't know of, don't you?" Kakashi said, his book long gone, his look dead serious.

Naruto gulped despite himself, trying so hard to keep his mental shield up. "I… yes. But – how did you know all this?"

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "The storm."

Naruto had to think. Iruka smiled thinly, encouragingly, and explained. "You wouldn't know because you haven't seen outside around here yet, but we're almost at the base of a mountain-"

Naruto snorted. "There isn't a mountain anywhere near here, everyone knows that. Check a map.”

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Oh, it's here, alright. You simply can't spot it until you're practically at the base of it. Doesn't matter, you'll see. It's - well, it's alive, Naruto. In ancient times the people said it was the birthplace of the gods."

Well. That was a whole new brand of crazy. Naruto just sat back to see how they’d explain this one.

He paused, gauging Naruto's inquiring look, but continued. "Well, the mountain’s behavior – weather patterns – are erratic. What we know is that they are the same depending on who approaches. Most unsuspecting travelers are chased away by the blizzards. Any persistent civilian dies if they don’t turn back… we accidentally run over their vehicles once in a while. Some fall to the Guards, if they get that close. It fights us, too, but we are prepared for it."

Naruto frowned. "It didn't get worse for me. At first it was just docile, and I kept driving thinking it would pass. But all of a sudden it was so bad and I knew I wasn't on the road anymore."

“And not once did you think to turn around?”

There was silence as Naruto remembered the strange urge he had felt, the determination to go forward, to not turn back, to be welcomed… despite the headache that worsened as he approached…

Kakashi went on anyway. "Because it wants you back, Naruto. What you carry… it comes from there. We knew something was up when the storm suddenly started up so violently. So when we picked you up, alive of all things, we realized who you were."

Naruto let this roll over in his mind, in case he believed it. "So… ‘who’ am I then? What is it that I'm 'carrying'?"

Tsunade opened her mouth to say something, then reconsidered. “That’s for another conversation, Naruto.”

Naruto looked them over. "This is crazy," he said finally, "You'd think I was reading Ron Hubbard or something. Just… take me home." His shoulders drooped and he felt as though he hadn't slept at all. Mountains with crazy blizzards and mutant animals… no thanks. "Please."

After the silence, Tsunade reached a hand to him.

"Naruto. Your parents died at the hands of Akatsuki.”

Naruto's eyes flared red. In a fit of rage, his head throbbing badly, he violently tore out of the room.

He stomped down the hallway, nearly blind with - whatever these feelings were. He was on an emotional rollercoaster and just about ready to puke from the ride. There was just too much, too much, damn these assholes how could they why couldn't he just have time to think -

He crashed into someone else and was nearly on the floor before he realized it. The side of his knee struck the ground first and sent shocks of pain up his thigh, but he was instantly looking for the asshat that had barged into him.

If he had been furious before, Naruto was now the very embodiment of wrath. He wrapped himself in the sin.

Said asshat was probably just as much out for his blood as Naruto was. He had eyes like darts that never left Naruto's face, his jaw tense and his hands clenching on the floor.

"What, am I hard to miss in this hallway or something? Watch where you're going!" Naruto snarled, carefully picking himself up.

The other - man? Boy? He seemed about Naruto's age – gritted his teeth. "Watch your mouth. You don’t mean shit in this place." He raised himself gingerly as well, and his hand went to massage his backside before he stopped himself.

Naruto regarded him darkly. "You don’t even know who I am.”

The darts locked on Naruto's eyes. "And I don't want to."

The black-haired boy walked away smoothly, his silent steps absorbed into the cold air.

Naruto whirled to watch him go. "HEY! Bastard!"

The boy paused and said softly without turning, "You're an imbecile, and imbeciles get killed here. Now go and run home."

He continued out of sight.

Naruto closed his eyes and breathed in and out slowly. He wanted to combust into flames and take this glacier down with him, he wanted his fucking car, he wanted to cry and for a moment he didn't even want the truth.

He could still demand to go home. They could probably hold him here, but they wouldn’t keep him if he wasn’t cooperating. He’d be a waste of resources and they’d send him home. Once home he could leave again, and go to… to… Naruto put his face in his hands. He didn’t have a destination.

He had been running away.

Damn these bastards. Damn that asshole. Damn this fucking planet and while he was at it, damn the universe. Damn them!

They turned with surprise as he reentered the room.

Naruto stood calmly, trying to hide the aggression on his face. "I will join you," he said slowly, "but I want to know everything. And I want the right to leave when I've had enough."

Kakashi hummed and put his book away. "That might be sooner than you think. The training's pretty tough."

Naruto bristled. Not him, too. “I can take the training! I meant that I can leave when I've found out for myself from these Aka-whatever bastards what really happened with me and my parents."

He saw Iruka glance quickly over to Tsunade.

"Of course," she said easily, almost disapprovingly. Dismissively. "Since you are not enlisted, you may be honorably discharged when appropriate."

Naruto twitched, understanding. You can leave – once we're through with you.

Just like that, he was an army man. Or something like it. He pursed his lips, resolved to prove himself more than worthy of them. He would surpass each and every one here. Especially that dark prick from earlier.

"Fine," he said finally, heart hammering. His words were sealing his fate. "I'll join your Konoha – or whatever you're called."

Though he had probably signed a deal with the devil, Naruto almost smiled when Iruka's face split into a wide grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Civilian Hummers descend from their military counterpart, the Humvee (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle or HMMWV). They can replace military Jeeps, ambulances, weapon platforms, cargo/troop carriers, etcetera, and can carry missiles.  
> 2) Mattracks are rubber tracks that function as tires. Think of a triangle with a rubber tire rotating around. They are used primarily to traverse snow, much like a snowshoe.


	4. Chapter 4

"They don't attack the cars?" Naruto asked.

"No. They used to, but the Guards are learning. All it took was one assault and now they stay away. Long story short, the power of these things could outclass a cannon," Kakashi seemed to grin under the mask.

They continued their orientation around the base. Naruto was finally learning what color hallway was meant for what. He even had a neat little orientation booklet he had every intention of never reading, a whole set of army fatigues and some more gadgets and gizmos sitting patiently in his assigned room. He was told not to worry about the lack of experience in the military – Konoha ran things less formally and what was expected of him would be taught anyway.

Kakashi brought him back to earth. "So training begins tomorrow. I'm to introduce you to your cell members today. Three man cells are the norm, under the direction of their director. In your case, myself."

Finally they arrived at the mouth of a large red corridor. The man observed Naruto seriously as they strode forward. "This is the training and equipment sector. Our room is T07, and we are Cell Seven. We meet at seven in the morning, but I expect you to be up much earlier to eat and prepare. I am your superior and will be your teacher until your training is complete. I know you’re new to this, but in the army when I tell you to jump, you ask how high. Understood?”

Naruto grit his teeth. "Crystal."

Kakashi grunted his approval. He pulled open a door and Naruto walked in bravely, apprehensive but definitely not expecting -

"You!" Naruto snarled, and dodged another kick by sidestepping awkwardly.

The boy grunted and righted himself to launch a punch. Guessing he would feint, Naruto clumsily flipped backwards to avoid it altogether. Furious, he planted his feet and threw himself at his opponent.

"Oh, you've met," Kakashi noted happily.

"Kakashi!" The black haired boy yelled as he grappled with Naruto on the floor, "What -the – hell - is the meaning of this!"

Naruto unleashed a snarl after taking yet another punch to the gut. He firmly pinned the other beneath him and, before he could find a way to avoid it, brutally rammed his head against the other boy's. He slumped back liquidly, eyes glazed and mouth open. Naruto grimaced and picked himself up. As he squeezed his midsection to check for damage, the door flew open.

"What the hell!" Sakura exclaimed, breathing heavily as if she had run here. She took in the situation and fixed her gaze on Kakashi. "What kind of initiation is this?"

Kakashi peered at her over his suddenly present book. "Well, they seemed so eager to jump into each other's arms, who was I to stop true love?"

A snarl sounded from the floor, and the boy carefully rose to his feet. He glared in disgust at the other three. "He's barely worth the attention of a dung beetle. Why the hell is he in our cell?"

The man in question shook his head and his cheery voice grew cold. "Sasuke, that's enough. Cell assignments are not taken lightly." He looked at Sakura, leaving Sasuke to fume. "You already knew about this?"

The girl nodded and fixed some hair behind her ear. "Yes, Sir Tsunade informed me and sent me here just minutes ago." She turned to Naruto and smiled, holding out her hand. "I know we've met before, but… hi, I'm Sakura of cell seven – combat and medical specialist. Also one of Sir Tsunade’s aides. Nice to re-meet you."

Naruto's lips stretched to a wide smile and he shook her hand maybe too enthusiastically. "Well, in that case – I'm Naruto, and, err, I was in college."

The girl laughed and it was a pretty sound. "We contacted your school and placed your studies under hiatus, to be continued again without trouble once you return."

Naruto's eyes grew large. "Whoa, she can do that? And I'm not in any trouble or anything? Really?"

Sakura smiled again. "We are a government entity, with more say than a school. Also, in case you were not already informed, your guardian has been notified and expresses his well-wishes."

Naruto grinned, one hand behind his head. "Ah, strange, Orochimaru's not usually the lenient type. What a nice change."

Sakura shrugged and kept smiling. Maybe she really did have no clue that Naruto suspected Orochimaru was really not complying with his absence at all. He doubted it.

"Well, how nice." Kakashi drawled. "Sasuke - introduce yourself to your new teammate."

Sasuke did not.

Kakashi heaved a great sigh. It was a I-forgot-I-worked-with-toddlers kind of sigh. "Sasuke. Blah blah blah, order."

Naruto smirked.

Sasuke could not correct the twitch of his jaw as he stated through grated teeth and as though speaking to a wall, "Sasuke of cell seven. Combat, analysis and strategy, and special forces specialist." Then he held Naruto’s eyes in a deadlock.

Naruto bristled. "Bet I’ll be twice as good as you."

Sasuke smirked and crossed his arms. "Incompetents aren't allowed near the weapons."

"Hey! Wait and see, asshole!"

"Boys!" Sakura cried, coming to stand in between them. She faced Sasuke angrily, but her confidence seemed to have dissolved when she was confronted with his gaze. "Um, try to get along. We're the one of the most elite cells of Konoha, we should be proud Naruto was placed in our group. Right, Sir Kakashi?"

Their mentor smiled – Naruto was getting pretty good at reading this - angelically. "Yes, we'll be teaching Naruto all that we know. Once he's capable, he'll become a full-fledged member of our cell."

Hands on his hips, Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "You bet I will. So what do you specialize in? Eh, Kakashi, sir?"

The man's eye curved again. "Artillery, reconnaissance, combat, analysis &amp; strategy, and special forces."

"Did you have to memorize that in order to repeat it when introducing yourself?" Naruto whistled.

Sakura actually smacked him upside the head, lightly but meaningfully. "No, we're only telling you because you need to know. You don't go around screaming your techniques to enemies any more than you would wear orange during recon."

Naruto crossed his arms in a huff. "Hey, if you wear orange for stealth it means you're that much more capable."

"What a stupid risk," the darker boy spat, taking Naruto’s joke seriously. "It figures an idiot like y-" He bit himself off at his mentor's raised hand.

"An idiot like who?" Naruto turned swiftly, limbs clicking into an aggressive position. "Go on, finish that sentence." What, was this kid's switch stuck on ‘douchebag or something?

Kakashi whistled – actually whistled – for their attention. "Children! Focus!"

The teens faced him, sullen at the title. Naruto pouted and shifted away from Sasuke.

"Alright, so we'll be getting a little break from our regular missions – for now we'll be focusing on Naruto, training ourselves by teaching him. We need to start at the beginning."

The mood of his cell members seemed to be darkening as Kakashi's enthusiasm brightened. "So! What's the most important quality in a cell?"

"Teamwork," Sasuke grumbled and Sakura replied, simultaneously.

"And what does teamwork require?" Kakashi continued in a singsong voice.

"Trust," they repeated. Naruto observed this all silently.

"So who knows what's coming up next?" Kakashi clapped his hands in glee.

The other two groaned. Naruto cocked his head.

Kakashi seemed to be grinning like a madman beneath his mask. From his right hand dangled two small bells.

LATER

"What the hell is wrong with this place!" Naruto fumed, shoveling noodles down his throat at unnerving speed.

Iruka regarded him with amusement, deciding to identify the question as rhetorical for now. "Kakashi? He's a little eccentric, but it's not so bad. Cell Seven is the most prestigious team, you know?" he said lightly. "So obviously he's doing something right - and don't slurp your dinner."

Ignoring him, Naruto grimaced with broth dripping from his chin. "Yeah, if he's after beating us to death." He put down his bowl and shoved back the sleeve from his arm, revealing soft bruises. "One hour into meeting my new team and he had us kicking the crap out of each other. And he made me miss lunch!"

Naruto knew he shouldn’t be whining like a freshman but no man made Naruto Uzumaki miss a mealtime. No man.

The other man smiled. "He's probably just happy he's finally found the final member for his team."

Naruto looked at him, startled. "Huh?"

With the bustle of the first dinner rush around them, Iruka explained. "Cells are three-men teams, not including the mentor. The third appointed soldier for cell seven was, after a trial period, not deemed adequate for the team and sent to another branch of Konoha. That's part of how cell seven earned their reputation as elite – no one placed with them could last longer than a week. They're simply too good at what they do."

Naruto thought back in awe, also recalling the source of most of his aches. "Wow, that means Sakura's really, really smart, on top of being freakishly strong as hell! She's too good to be that old lady's assistant!"

"Yes, well… Hey! First of all, curb that disregard for authority. I couldn’t think of anyone more capable than Sir Tsunade. She was a member of the most impressive cell Konoha ever had.”

"Yeah?" Naruto raised an eyebrow, and slurped down the rest of his noodles.

"Mmhm. Anyway, Kakashi must see a lot of promise in you to have you placed in his own cell."

"Well, naturally." Naruto grinned, noticing. "I'll be the best in this whole place, you'll see. I'll even be good enough to take that old bag's position!"

Iruka frowned at him, but then chuckled quietly as Naruto made a show of flexing his muscles. Safe to say the two had taken a liking to each other.

"Hey, but Kakashi's so strange. He had us attack him to get some bells while he stood and read a book! In the library! The librarian doesn't even know my name yet I'm banned from there. Just because I might have destroyed, you know, a book. Or twelve. In self-defense."

"Uh-huh." The older man didn't bother raising his eyebrow. Naruto was still mumbling “A library!” under his breath in disbelief.

"Well, everyone here knows Kakashi is a little…" he made a circling motion with his finger to his head, "touched."

"You mean completely whacked! And he just giggles while he reads that book of his, that he pulls out of nowhere." Naruto grumbled. "I bet it’s porn. He should meet this guy I know, Jiraiya. I bet they'd have a great big pervy shindig together."

"Jiraiya, huh?" Iruka smiled. "Whatever you say. When you're done I'll show you the training center."

"Sweet! Okay, I'm - ! Hack, aaaaack, arhr…" Naruto coughed violently.

"I told you not to slurp your food."

ELSEWHERE

"You know, he knows we're lying." Kakashi said offhandedly, flipping a page.

Tsunade glanced at him and took a swig right from the bottle. "About what?"

"Orochimaru. He knows him too well."

The busty woman shrugged. "What does it matter? It shouldn't make Naruto change his mind. Orochimaru won't affect anything now, as long as he stays away."

Kakashi hummed. "I doubt he will. He'll complicate things."

"…Oh, I know." Sighing, Tsunade leaned back in her special-order, ultra-comfort office chair. God, she would have snapped long ago without this chair. "But for now, we're okay.”

"He acts a little slow, but he’s rather clever. He'll find out something, everything – somehow."

Tsunade grimaced and toyed with an object on her desk. She didn't have an answer, so the bottle filled her silence.

"We need his trust, Tsunade. You cannot send him to do this, put him in harm’s way…"

“…Again.” Tsunade rested her forehead on the bottle mouth, closing her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a dense info-dump chapter. Please bear with me, all the information here is relevant eventually.

Orochimaru sat at his desk, eyes open but blind. He did not even remember the steaming cup of coffee in front of him, perched on his new bureau - he had ended up breaking the other one into splinters. He leaned back heavily.

It had been a stupid, stupid mistake. He had returned there, and as Konoha gained Naruto, Orochimaru lost his chance.

He closed his eyes remorsefully. He should not have let him leave at all. And look what that had brought! He should have waited. He should have locked Naruto up like -

His eyes opened suddenly.

Perhaps not all was lost.

The man's eyes narrowed, and he sat up liquidly. A few seconds and key beats later, the encryption was dissolving and he booted another program to automatically sift through the pieces of code. Strings and queries flashed before him. He liked the progress he saw.

He grabbed the phone, dialed a number, and waited two rings before the other end picked up.

"Sir?"

"Kabuto," Orochimaru nearly purred. "How is my school coming along?"

"Well, sir. The survivors have been delightfully obedient. They are progressing well."

"How soon will they be stable?"

"I would give it another week, sir."

"Any… special cases?"

"A good few, sir. No doubt they will be useful to you."

Orochimaru felt himself become almost sinfully excited.

ELSEWHERE

Naruto began to grow.

Initially he had accepted the training with stiff shoulders, yet as the hours passed and he saw the conviction in those around him, he began to see clearly.

It had been a week.

The very core of his sessions was, of course, combat. At the first stirrings of dawn he had a crash course in technique with Iruka. They spoke theory and practiced execution in a small training room. Having before taught himself to fight out of necessity, Naruto could only deliver devastating but sloppy blows; it was Iruka's duty to remedy this. He learned to sense every brush of air against his body as he flew through the exercises, though he had trouble mastering them. At the last possible shred of a moment, his concentration would fail and his limbs miss their mark. But with his growing number of invisible bruises also grew his respect for his first mentor as he corrected him, smooth grace in his exact blows and leaps. Once, Naruto had grinned and asked Iruka when exactly he had taken up ballet as a child. Iruka had kicked him clear across the room. The bruise cleared in three hours, but from that moment on Naruto only had to leer to receive a fresh batch. He wondered why such a skilled man had been assigned to be his babysitter of sorts, then decided he didn’t care and was almost glad for it.

With instructions in mind he set out to breakfast, then T07. The room was an office of sorts, with each member having their own desk and computer. Lying about were mugs and pens and a few whiteboards adorned the walls. Stacked in the corner were mats and dumbbells when training inside was necessary. Most training sessions were actually done in practice rooms which were essentially small gymnasiums with every kind of gym equipment a soldier might need. After regrouping and discussing today’s agenda, cell seven relocated to a practice room.

He practiced more hands-on combat for a solid hour in every man for himself matches, putting to use what he had recently learned. He lacked the finesse Sasuke slid into as he eased from a kick's path, and his attacks felt like they were plotted by a three year old against Sakura, who would trap him expertly between rubber pillars and ropes. He felt even more shamed when launching at his teacher, fully expecting the calm disappearance and jab to the nape. However, never once did he give in to his creaking limbs. He certainly took more damage than he gave, but each time he was one of the last standing. A few times, when shrouded in desperation and crouching beneath a ledge, Naruto breathed in deeper and saw the wide area with crystal clarity. He set off toward his observers with a surprising speed, stunning them, and they'd barely have time to raise an arm to block before being catapulted into one of the padded walls. Naruto was growing proud of his powerful kicks.

He would loudly ignore their gauging eyes as he slid to the floor in a heap, dumping the contents of a water bottle over his head. Iruka tapped his foot impatiently by the training room’s doors.. Naruto would always eagerly return it. Iruka escorted him to his next appointment in the information center – a slightly more dignified term for the library.

The short hours before lunch flew by as he sat in a study room with a boy his age named Shikamaru. On top of that surprise was the green jacket the boy dutifully ignored on his own person, which Naruto learned signified a higher rank. Shikamaru, despite his lack of communication skills, still managed to instill in Naruto what Konoha felt he needed to know. Of course, this meant that he simply got a folder lobbed at him and was commanded to read, and ask only important questions when only absolutely necessary. Naruto didn't mind.

He leafed through the file, knees tapping against the leg of the table. Shikamaru would raise his head to glare sullenly at him, then retreat over his arms.

Naruto learned that Konoha had been established close to six generations ago, as a means for the government to confront and eliminate threats deemed harmful to the public's awareness. Therefore, despite the undeniable size and power, Konoha's existence was practically unknown. Though having smaller bases spread throughout the country, their recent focus had called for most of the forces to amass at one of their largest bases, here at the foot of a mountain jeeringly referred to as Olympus - the notes did not identify the official name of the mountain nor its exact whereabouts. This branch, which was not distinguished by name from the others, was under the leadership of Sir Tsunade – who in turn answered to her superior, the hand behind the entire Konoha organization: a man simply referred to as Sarutobi. Naruto read with astonishment that Sarutobi operated alongside the government, not necessarily for it. Yet most shocking of all, Naruto discovered that every first-world country possessed their own version of Konoha. A few allied nations had pledged to lend their own forces to the cause should the threat – the group called Akatsuki – grow too much for Konoha to handle. One of such was the affiliated organization by the name of Suna, from the country over to the west. The notes seemed to bitingly suggest that this was only because Konoha was temporarily housing one of Suna's soldiers, and desperately wanted him back on friendly terms.

Here the notes grew less specific. The threat itself was a renegade group of scientists by the name of Akatsuki, whose members were largely unknown. Profiles were vague since members wore concealing black robes to hide their identity. Their origins were unspecified and only appeared as a threat once word of horrendous creatures attacking towns near the mountain surfaced to the government. Konoha had immediately moved to pinpoint and enclose the source of the matter, finally locking Akatsuki on their mountain. Many months had been spent building proper offence and defense, as well as trying to defend from and dissect the mutated creatures that had at first prowled near the base. There was nothing else written on Akatsuki save for the composition research on their intent and work. The information gleaned from them implied that they were after what every super villain craved – power, and lots of it. The file dictated that they had found this enchanted mountain and used its temperance to their own advantage, collecting large animals from all over the world to warp and mutate them into "Guards" – brutes that would attack without command. Their exact means to world domination was not clearly defined, but suggested that Akatsuki was using the Guards to wipe out minor threats, and were breeding something far more powerful to pitch against their worst opponent: Konoha. Hence the never ending flurry of objectives and training.

Here Shikamaru would shift and flap a hand at the woman who was boring holes into the back of Naruto's head. He muttered something that sounded like "bother" and "train", and the woman in charge of the information centre narrowed her eyes and stalked off. Naruto had never met a librarian that didn’t hate him.

Naruto leaned into the pages upon pages of information again, eyes locking on the document labeled "Guards". Reading further, Naruto felt a sense of dread and a chill that had nothing to do with the ever-present cold creep upon him. The beasts-to-become-creations were apparently gathered long before Konoha settled here to confront Akatsuki, so the number of creatures were either dwindling or were only a small portion of what still lay in store. The creatures were experimented on and injected with rabid blood, among other slow-acting maddening poisons. Certain creatures had their brains dissected and portions of it sloppily removed, leaving behind dreadful killing machines too stupid to do anything other than attack on sight. At least, this is all the scientists could discover before decomposition took place.

This did not sit well with Naruto. If they were mindless machines, how did they know to avoid the base and vehicles?

And, unbidden, came forth the image of a single rotting muzzle lying in the snow, the decrepit tongue still attached and pale purple, the jagged teeth yellow behind the snowflakes. Shikamaru looked up at Naruto's choked sound, but lowered his head slightly when Naruto grinned abashedly. He didn't wait to hear an excuse and lay down again.

Naruto gripped the papers tighter on the verge of warping them and kept reading. No live Guard had ever been able to be taken into captivity. The creatures would decompose at alarming rates once dead, with the hard flesh flaking off or somehow eating itself, and tendons shrunk loose and its organs fell apart or out of the body completely. Konoha research was able to identify Necrotizing fasciitis on one Guard, called the flesh eating bacteria, since it would rapidly produce necrosis-causing toxins that “ate” flesh. 

One case described a wolf-like Guard vomiting its own lung, swimming on the concrete in reeking blood. When quarantined to be examined, a Guard carcass would be reduced to cracked bones and shreds of appendages within two days. On one occasion a cell had literally run over a Guard that was already dead, with no telling marks other than frostbite. The notes volunteered the possibility of this being one of the many prototypes, or that all Guards had limited life spans. Given the extreme conditions and lack of any shelter or food outside, both options were just as likely. All these various occurrences reinforced the fact that little about the nature of the Guards was certain.

Shikamaru watched Naruto and stood up slowly, demanding the folder back. Its contents were no secret, but it was still classified stuff, he explained. Naruto handed them over and stuck out a tongue at him, asking how they could make him read this stuff right before lunch.

They traveled to the cafeteria together, where they were joined by Iruka. Naruto felt slightly cheered despite himself to note that he could now recognize a few faces flocking around the tables. And his education did not stop during meals - he learned about the satellite dead zone that Olympus, and, consequently, Konoha was locked inside of. Special cables had been laid from the nearest output, but the operation had taken nearly a month of extreme labor and defense – the Guards had been especially vicious during the procedure. However, the landline still did not always work. A few times a crew had to be sent out to dig out and repair the massive mangled tube, damaged by either frost or claw. The news of this isolation came a surprise to Naruto, who hadn't really thought about it that way before – that he was indeed locked inside a military base with no option of escape or any hope of outside communication. His throat closed up. Not that he had anyone he would wish to call, or a place he could run to. But Iruka sighed and threw a napkin at his face, and Naruto couldn't help feel slightly cheered and grin past the food on his chin.

"Hey, 'Ruka," Naruto once asked.

Iruka made the face of a martyr as he sipped his tea. "What is it, Naruto?"

"I was just wondering, how'd you all come to work in this place?"

Shikamaru pushed his food aside to make room for his head and Iruka frowned at him before turning back to Naruto. "Well, it's difficult to say. Most people here have worked for Konoha all their lives, like their parents did before them. This… duty is kind of like a heirloom. A tradition to serve that is passed in the family. Still, some can choose to lead normal civilian lives. Then again, some people, like you, are recruited for their – ah - skills." Iruka smiled uneasily.

Naruto bit into his lunch and hoped they hadn't put these other recruits through as much shit as they did for him.

After lunch Naruto was led off to the shooting range for further training – weaponry and artillery, with a girl slightly older than him named TenTen. Her name and hairstyle amused him at first, but when she actually threw a pistol with unnerving accuracy at his head Naruto yelped and retracted his earlier opinion. On the first session TenTen taught Naruto the basic of basics - how to handle the small weapon, and how to aim. He was horrible at it, not able to get the hang of reloading. He had to fit the bullets into the cartridge himself, which was painful after a while. What took TenTen a few fluid seconds took Naruto a clumsy three minutes. Still, eventually it came to him. She was boastful and demanding, but still helpful, and Naruto walked out from that first session like he was learning at the speed of light. He had since progressed to handling the MKs with passable skill, and itched to continue learning.

The last portion of his day found Naruto again entertaining his cell's company. At first they would complete small tasks like washing the tables in the cafeteria (Naruto had nearly thrown his bottle of cleaner at Kakashi when he found out, Sakura had actually agreed with him and Sasuke glared at the corner of the room) but once the menial objectives were done (every cell had to do them), they would continue to train together. They all noted how drastically Naruto improved, especially Naruto himself. He was starting to recognize his cell's movements and trademark approaches to combat. Their teamwork continued to grow, and faced with Naruto's undaunted stubbornness, Sasuke and Sakura evolved slightly as well. By the time dinner crept around, Naruto would be teasing Sakura from the top of a ceiling-suspended rope as she threatened his future children, and Sasuke would snidely remark that the training ropes he clung to were not built to resist the weight of Naruto's stupidity. They were all too fatigued to actually follow through with any threats, and at dinner Naruto couldn't help but grin widely when seated with them all. Even if Sakura did edge away from him in disgust when he accidentally spewed noodles on her, and Kakashi always tried to feed him something 'slightly more nourishing' - some kind of vegetables that had too many spikes on them and smelled pretty repugnant. And Sasuke gave him calculated looks that flickered away instantly when Naruto caught them.

The first day of training had done something to Naruto's psyche. For the first time in his life he felt capable… and used, perhaps, but appreciated. It did not bother him as he thought it would. By the fifth day, Naruto felt something else.

It was on the sixth day that what Naruto had hoped would become routine was brought to a halt.

"No more training?" Naruto asked, stunned.

The bacon spilled from his fork, centimeters from his mouth, to his lap. "But – w, what –"

Kakashi gave him a disapproving eye. "Let me finish, Naruto. I never said we would discontinue your training. Actually, we are increasing it."

"But – you said –"

"I said there would be no more afternoon cell training. Instead, now that you have already advanced to the level of intermediate, we will be accompanying you throughout all your training sessions. But now, during your block before dinner, you will be undergoing… specialized training."

Naruto leaned back on his chair, breakfast forgotten. "Is this the special forces thinger you were talking about?"

Kakashi cocked his head to the side in amusement. "Yes, it is. Report after Artillery to T12, in the red hallway." He nodded with finality and took his leave, leaving Naruto to study his retreating figure.

Room T12 was as unimpressive as they could get – plain white walls, uninteresting beige tiles and some chairs by a counter with a sink and cupboards.

And, save for Naruto, it was empty.

Naruto growled as he paced the room, wishing Kakashi and whatever mystery no-good no-show teacher would get here already. Just then the door opened with a click and Naruto whirled around, accusations already in his throat. But - they never made it out.

His lips were in a tight line of cold calculation. His hair was an auburn verging on full red, and was wild and spiky despite the short length. His skin was a darker shade as well, weathered and bronze, visible beneath the fishnet sleeves.Though the heavy application of kohl around his eyes did a lot to hide the purple and tight skin underneath, the weariness still leaked through and spoke silent volumes. The pupils themselves were a dark, unforgiving brown that cut through Naruto like a scalpel.

Something in them flickered, but this was not what made Naruto's throat close up.

It was the sudden pressure on every surface of his body, like he was being held down while pulled in every direction. It was the growl building low within him, the tensing of his shoulders, and the red haze hindering his vision. It was something familiar and overwhelming.

It was the voice in his head.

Cutting in, another voice - "Fight it," the boy said.

Naruto stumbled back, his mind's eye a flaring red, his own inner voice shrieking. But he pushed it down, and there was a maddened, diminishing roar, then it was over. It only took Naruto a few more seconds to rein in his shivers and pants before he could ignore the static in the room.

"Who are you," Naruto hissed, his head close to splitting. He resisted the urge to cradle it in his hands and whimper. The boy was a few centimeters shorter than him, but did not need to raise his chin to meet Naruto's heavy eyes. They flared again.

"One," was all he said.

Naruto felt slight tremors in his upper back and stomach. Before he could react any further, the door was flung violently open.

A thunderous voice cried out, "WHOA, WHOA, BOYS! LET'S NOT break anyyy… …huh?"

A moment passed as Jiraiya gaped at them. Naruto gaped at Jiraiya. The boy did nothing.

Naruto easily found his voice first. "Jiraiya?” He practically screeched, finger pointing in disbelief. Thoughts scattered from his mind. "What are you doing here?"

The large, white-haired man scowled at him. "I work here."

"What –"

"-So why aren't you guys fighting? I felt a flare-up just seconds ago."

The other boy looked at Jiraiya in distaste. "He wasn't ready, but he managed to control it. Perhaps if you had been on time as required of you, he would have been better prepared."

Jiraiya didn't even have the decency to look ashamed as he waved a hand in dismissal. "I was held up by a sweet young woman who needed guidance in the ways of-"

"You were harassing some chick weren't you!" Naruto cut in.

Jiraiya scowled. "Watch your words, boy!”

The other boy in the room did not speak, but a deep breath was enough to redirect the quarrelers' attentions.

"Oh, yeah. So you've met Gaara of Suna. Pleasant boy isn't he," Jiraiya said dryly, unmindful of said boy's piercing gaze. "Gaara, this is Naruto. You are both Carriers."

Naruto blinked, remembering what the files said of Suna. He and Gaara eyed each other again, and with Naruto's sudden understanding came a twinkling of fear. The pressure in the room was stifling.

"You too…." He whispered, mostly to himself, but Gaara lowered his head slightly in a minute nod.

"Has that leak of energy… ever… happened before?" Jiraiya said softly.

Naruto looked aside. "Once," he said. He had wanted to whisper. He had wanted to not say anything at all.

"Was it provoked by another Carrier?"

Naruto had to laugh despite himself. "No."

For another moment, there was silence.

"Well," Jiraiya cleared his throat. "Okay, we won't push that. For now – for as long as it takes, we'll be helping you cultivate your… power."

Naruto shook his head to force those thoughts away and looked up to the man. "Hey, so you've been working here the entire time, Old Pervert?"

The man frowned but shrugged. "Yeah and no, you could say I work from home… I just got here this morning. Took me all day and night to get here. Stupid bloody mountain," he muttered the last part a little more quietly, though Naruto saw how Gaara's eyes narrowed, just barely.

"So why are you here now?"

Jiraiya started to look a little annoyed. "Money doesn't grow from trees, son. And - well, you're here for a special reason, kid. Makes sense to cultivate that reason. I'm not a Carrier but I have a little sixth sense, so we figured you could use a little… help to train it." He said, glancing at Gaara.

Naruto's eyes grew wide. "Sixth sense? That kind of stuff is real?"

"Of course it's real," Gaara bit off, impatient and tense. "Obviously you've-"

Something jolted Naruto, and he interrupted. "Wait! Jiraiya! Orochimaru… does he – has he always known? That – something inside me…"

Naruto waited, to no avail. No one said anything. He felt the urge to sigh. All these questions, all these loose ends. He felt as though he was in some kind of drama. After all, only a few days had passed since he had accepted all this stuff as real.

His musings were cut off as Jiraiya stalked past them to stand in the back of the room. "I would like to see you two fight."

Naruto's mouth hung agape.

Gaara said, "Very well."

And that force - that lingering pressure – finally exploded where Naruto had stood one second earlier. He could not even call it instinct, couldn't call it foresight – his body had just moved, and he only realized it once he was flat on his ass, staring at the crater in the tiles.

Gaara gazed at him with interest. He had not even shifted.

"What the he-!" Naruto started to cry, but his body violently twisted and he found himself rolling away. This time he heard the cracking and shuddering of the floor and the ceramic shards embedded themselves in his arm and upper torso. He felt their entry but no pain.

He quickly rolled to his feet. They were both regarding him silently.

Finally it clicked. Naruto's remaining rage erupted from the volcano of frustration dwelling inside him, and he launched himself at Gaara. The boy glided backward and Naruto's fist missed its mark - but he brought his other fist up mid-fall and felt Gaara's jawbone creak beneath his knuckles. Gaara's head snapped backward while his arm flew forward to his neck and knocked Naruto to the side. Naruto landed painfully but sprung up in an instant, watching Gaara and massaging his throat. His opponent had managed to stop his fall, but as he was working his jaw Naruto saw a bead of red appear at the corner of his lips.

Time stood still as Gaara wiped up the small trickle with something akin to surprise. His eyes slowly rose to meet Naruto's wild ones.

And released a roar.

He did not move but the air around Naruto shattered, turning into itself. Before he could have time to prepare, invisible shards fought into his skin and Naruto felt as though he was encased in a coffin of pain. His legs barely managed to keep him upright but Naruto would not have noticed even if he fell. All that mattered was the solid layer all around him, pulling at his flesh to find purchase in his very bones, his mind going white -

IMPUDENT FOOL, his mind flared as the sensation from before swiftly returned. Naruto recognized it and latched on to it, struggling to remain conscious and aware of the situation. Dimly he could sense the presence of the others beyond his mental anguish.

Accept me, let me…

A trickle of red dripped through his vision, and abruptly the force behind the pressure combusted, and fire laced through him. As it rippled out it melted the needles of pain and seemed to rip out from his very skin, burning hot but growing and growing, and they had hurt him so Naruto saw no reason to stop it…

YES. LET THEM SEE JUST WHO THEY THINK THEY ARE TOYING WITH - LET THEM BURN AND ANSWER TO ME IN HELL. The fire grew, tentacles of flame reaching closer.

Naruto sensed them reaching for Gaara and Jiraiya, and decided, NO.

Instantly Naruto's vision returned, the red melting away. He struggled inside himself to find this source of power and contain it, when all of a sudden there was a flare of energy from the other side of the room. As Naruto’s red flare rushed to meet Gaara, the air around him crackled and suddenly became tangible, fortifying and enclosing Gaara in what Naruto desperately hoped was safety.

Red crashed into Gaara's shield, eating away the outermost layers in under a second. Naruto stretched out the confines of his mind, projecting out the need to STOP IT, I DON’T WANT THIS and the red vanished as his mind touched it.

Instantly, the pressure dissipated into thin air.

Naruto would have thought he had imagined it all if Gaara and himself were not gasping for breath atop piles of debris. A soft noise sounded beside him, and he saw small rivulets of blood sneaking down his arm, wounding around his fingers, and falling to the rubble on the floor. He knew he should not have been able to hear the drops of blood. He felt extra sensitive, every muscle in his tense frame announcing itself, feeling the air itself lapping against him. He did not object when it gently probed against him, then retreated. He felt calmer and more clear-headed than he ever had since his arrival here.

"So now I see…" a soft breath came from behind him.

Naruto slowly turned his head to see Jiraiya watching him, casually leaning by the door. His eyes never left Naruto's own.

"Good work, Gaara."

Naruto's head clicked into place as he turned to observe the other boy. He was completely winded, but aside from blood leaking through his lips and looking disheveled, he bore no other marks of the surrealism they had evoked.

"You were testing me," Naruto said slowly.

A sigh. "Never said we weren’t. It had to be done. The force inside you does not react to mere physical assaults." Jiraiya answered softly.

But Gaara's lips tightened, and Naruto knew he had provoked the boy to further heights with his punch to the jaw. Truthfully, it had landed harder than Naruto normally allowed, but he had been beyond anger.

“I could have killed you,” Naruto warned them. He knew very well what the red force was capable of.

“Hurt us, maybe. Kill us… not that easily.”

"You're going to help me control it?" Naruto asked. He was proud that he did not shake. He took in Gaara's condition, remembered how Gaara had called upon the power to protect himself at will. Jiraiya nodded.

Naruto breathed in deep. "Can you…. even do such a thing?"

Gaara hunched over slightly. "Yes. With application, it can be done."

Something about the tone gave him pause. Naruto saw the dark rimmed eyes and understood. This boy, too, had suffered.

Jiraiya's voice broke into his thoughts, amused. "Hey, didn't I tell you boys not to break anything? Damn it, now that drunkard of a woman is going to be on my ass for damages…"

Naruto almost smiled. He was about to turn his head around to yell at the old man again when a flash caught his eye. At the farthest corner of the room, mounted on the corner of the ceiling and the wall, rested a small black orb.

Minute and barely visible, the red light blinked again.

ELSEWHERE

Tsunade watched the fight again, slowing down the frame rate to see how immediate Naruto’s reactions were. He was barely in control of what he was doing, or rather, allowing.

Kakashi sighed. “Letting two Carriers go at each other in a military base next to Olympus, Tsunade?”

She sighed too. “What do you want me to do, fly him out to an island to practice on coconuts? I had the room fortified and watched. You know Naruto is guarded at all times. This was the most efficient way.”

“Nine was triggered immediately just by being in One’s presence. It seems their proximity to each other is… volatile.”

“Well...” Sir Tsunade took a hefty swig of sake. “We’ll have to work on that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) MK: MK series machine gun.  
> 2) Necrotizing fasciitis: a real condition, causes what is known as the “flesh eating disease” that causes skin infections which must be treated immediately. The bacteria does not really “eat” flesh but causes skin’s immediate necrosis.


	6. Chapter 6

Jiraiya's eyes followed Naruto's, and settled on the camera. He sighed. "It was necessary, kid. Gotta see what you're capable of, and all that." His voice sounded a little sympathetic.

A camera watching him fight, observing him at all times: necessary.

"Yeah, I get it. Can't believe I didn't spot it right away," Naruto muttered. And he really did understand. The testing and vigilance was getting on his nerves, however. "So what happened? What did I…?" he asked, observing the craters in the floor.

"That," Jiraiya sighed, "is what you carry. Its name is Nine."

"…Nine," Naruto repeated, the word so heavy on his tongue and in his head, it held almost physical weight. "What exactly is Nine?"

Jiraiya's face hinted nothing. "We'll get to that."

"Then Gaara…"

"I carry One."

Naruto paused to think it over. "So One and… Nine are weird things we hold that give us magic powers?" Hey, he really tried to not sound flippant.

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "Magic powers?" he growled, sounding most insulted, but Naruto waved a hand dismissively.

"You know what I mean. What are they?"

Jiraiya's eyes flickered towards the camera again, then back to him. "Naruto…." There was an odd look on his face. It was in the way that his faint wrinkles were more pronounced, the way his eyes were narrowed. He couldn't name the expression. "Do you believe in demons?"

They watched him carefully. The pressure in the room was back tenfold.

"You can't mean…" Naruto whispered brokenly, but then laughed. It sounded a little hysterical, and Jiraiya looked somewhat startled. Gaara's countenance never changed.

"You can't be serious. Demons… really. Demons? I'm a demon? What kind of bullshit is that - ?"

It was a rocky trail, the smile torn off his friend's face, and the teeth. Fear rippled through him even though the memory was far away. The teeth.

Gaara's countenance screamed of irritation. "You are not the demon. You carry it. And unless you become strong, it will soon overtake you and you will succumb to madness." He leaned forward like he was upholding something heavier than the world on his shoulders. “Trust me in this.”

It will soon overtake you. Naruto gazed ahead, unseeing. He was remembering.

It took him a few more minutes to speak, and his voice was tremulous. "So it's going to – what, possess me? How did it happen? I…" He couldn't finish, thoughts flying from his grasp.

Jiraiya just shook his head. "Your training is not over yet."

He didn't understand what Jiraiya meant, but through the haze in his mind Naruto thought he must be imagining seeing Gaara's eyes flash gold, just for a moment.

Something in the depths of his mind shifted.

LATER

The next morning Naruto attended his usual combat training.

"Oomph!" he grunted as he landed, letting gravity pull him forward and folding his knees. It had felt… right. The small smile on Iruka's face felt even better.

"You're getting it," He said. The scar on his nose crinkled slightly. "Well, half of it."

Standing straight, Naruto's bright grin fell right off his face. "Half? Why?"

"Your grunting and groaning.”

Naruto rolled his eyes to the heavens. "Oh for- …'Ruka! Come on, that was beautiful."

Iruka smacked him across the back of his shoulders. "What, you think your target is just going to politely ignore the sounds you make when you spy on them?"

Naruto pouted. "Okay, okay, I get it."

"Good." Another smack. "Off to breakfast with you."

Naruto walked efficiently back to his room, the layout of the base already well imprinted into his head, so he wasted no time in getting ready for a shower. Finding his room, he entered and had to maneuver around a pile of books – his homework, Shikamaru said offhandedly - to get to the dresser. His living arrangements had become a bit of a bachelor’s studio, with manuals and catalogs filing his once barren shelves and odds and ends occupying every horizontal surface. At is was Naruto had given up avoiding the clothes on the floor and just stepped right on them when they were in his way. He supposed he could do with some imposed order, like how army barracks made cleanliness mandatory. But then again he was allergic to folding and had a serious case of chronic laziness. Laundry day was bad enough.

He grabbed a change of clothes for the showers and caught himself thinking of yesterday’s events.

He had never considered himself a host to some demonic evil before. He had thought – and it both pained and relieved him – that he was the evil. That he had been responsible for the red stones and that the pain in his belly was his own imagination. He looked down at the red scars on his stomach. Yet another mystery. One he was not eager to unearth.

Later, hair still dripping wet, he bounded through the cafeteria doors and nearly jogged toward the carts stocked with steaming food. He piled as many pancakes on to his plate as he could without having the syrup drip unto his fingers.

"That looks disgusting," Sakura sniffed at his sea of maple syrup.

Naruto grinned as he settled beside her. "Well, the cooks always yell at me when I ask them to serve ramen for breakfast. Blame them."

Sakura looked like he had been parading a dead cat under her nose. "Yes, because I cannot stand for a single day without my noodle facial."

Naruto brightened at the idea. "Oh, Sakura – you really are a genius! Ramen face care products! Think! – miso moisturizer -"

"I'd rather hurl," she said pleasantly.

Sasuke made a choked sound that sounded slightly like a bark of laughter, but cleared his throat quickly and looked the other way. Naruto scowled at him.

He'd never admit it, but he looked forward to breakfast for reasons other than the food.

They finished and were soon enough in T07 awaiting the arrival of their mentor. Sasuke accepted Naruto's proposal to start off training early with a one-on-one by smoothly melting into a battle stance. Naruto grinned widely, not settling into any form at all, and lunged.

Sasuke blocked his punches with his forearms and jumped to avoid a sweeping kick, delivering one of his own. Naruto grabbed the ankle and twisted upward, but Sasuke flowed with it and landed a knee to the gut. They crashed backward, Naruto rolling off to the side and bringing an arm up to stop Sasuke's fist.

Ten minutes later and they had effectively trashed the medium-sized room. Sakura sighed when what was once a chair sailed past her. She cracked her neck, put down her tablet, and stomped over to the wrestling boys.

"That's enough," she ordered, grabbing Naruto by his shoulder and yanking him back. He went tumbling, his head striking against the cold floor unpleasantly.

He got his wind back quickly. "Jesus, Sakura," Naruto wheezed, taking small pleasure in the fact that Sasuke had gotten the same – if slightly less rough – treatment. "You pack a punch for someone your size." Saying that Sakura was abnormally strong was like saying that the Sun was hot. The understatement was overwhelming.

"Hmph!" Sakura smiled despite herself, wiping her hands of imaginary dust. "That’s because I train with Sir Tsunade every morning.”

Sasuke and Naruto picked themselves up slowly. "Tsunade?" Naruto asked wonderingly. "What, she taught you to be a she-Hulk?"

"Watch yourself!" Sakura frowned. "But… well… yeah."

"With those breasts, I'm surprised she can move. What a beast." Naruto whistled.

Kakashi strolled in as Sakura was pulling a German Supplex on Naruto. "Children," he said disapprovingly, "don't kill each other before lunch."

Sasuke snorted and waited impatiently as Naruto straightened – cursing all the while, something about monster girls and lateness – and Sakura blushed and mumbled apologies. Kakashi ignored her and flipped through his book. He cleared his throat to address them.

"Today marks the first day of full-cell training. Naruto's exam is coming up soon, so let's do our best!" Kakashi said happily, not even looking up from his literature.

Naruto's eyes widened. He eyed the Konoha emblem proudly displayed on their uniforms and felt the lack of it on his own. His trial period had expired.

Sakura smiled encouragingly at him, but Sasuke snorted again. "You better not slow us down, loser," he said in a deep voice.

Naruto bristled. "Slow you down? You'll be begging for me to go easy on you, prick."

Sasuke smirked. "Whatever, imbecile."

"Children," Kakashi sang in warning.

"I'm nineteen, you grey-haired geezer!" Naruto whined, turning to face the older man.

"What a big boy!" Kakashi's eye curved. "Then I'm sure you won't mind briefing us on the operational mountain terrain levels."

Naruto's shoulders fell. Sakura whispered to him, "I think you hit a sore spot."

Kakashi clapped his suddenly-free hands. "No? Someone didn’t do their homework again? We know what this calls for… harsher training! Onwards!"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura groaned.

LATER

Two hours later Naruto sighed and picked himself off the floor from the prone unsupported firing position.

TenTen smirked encouragingly at him. Somehow, that was possible. "Good, you remembered to hold your breath when squeezing the trigger. Good position, minimal wobble."

"Shoulder hurts though," Naruto whined and began clearing the M16 rifle. He saw Sakura roll her eyes a little farther away. Full-cell training meant following Naruto and meshing with his weapon lessons. Cell seven joined him in his firing lane.

"It’s called endurance," TenTen said in a voice that suggested she might hit him if he was not occupied with unloading a weapon. "Now it's time to focus on the stuff you're actually going to be using."

Naruto looked up, his weapon clear and taken care of. "What, no rifles? I've been beating my own collarbone for nothing?" The positioning of rifles when lying prone unsupported (lying flat on the ground with elbows propped to support the chest) required keeping the butt against the collarbone. This didn’t seem so bad at first, but Naruto quickly learned.

This time TenTen did hit him. "Practice is never for nothing!" She glared at him as the rest of cell seven sauntered over. "In actual combat during extreme weather, regular pistols won't do squat. The four assault arms we've found to be effectual are TOWs, Javelins, rifles and shotguns. Because of their size and power, TOWs are actually equipped to the Humvees and operated inside them. Javelins and shotguns are your best bet against the Guards, but remember that the cold steadily decreases their effectiveness. We’re dealing with some god-damn cold out there, and that affects our firing. That’s why AK-47s are our standard; not much can interfere with them."

Naruto grumbled and stated his understanding as Kakashi leaned against the wall, book open. He took over. "However, the guns are simply for use against Guards that are a reasonable distance away. Grenades help too. Up close, a pistol and blade is best."

Naruto's eyebrows met his hairline. "Blades? Like, swords and stuff?"

Kakashi nodded. "Bayonets, daggers, knives. We don’t discriminate amongst our weaponry here.”

"So what about the Akatsuki then? They're somewhere in the mountain? I don't think we'll be able to set off grenades in there."

"Right. Akatsuki have several hidden entrances leading to the center of the mountain. That's what most of the recon missions are – scoping out the perimeters and discovering these entrances. Most of them are located on terrain level one and three, which are relatively smooth in regards to accessibility, but crawling with Guards. Once we've discovered them all we'll be ready to launch an assault."

Naruto clasped his hands behind his head. "Okay, I’ve heard that part."

Kakashi continued. "However we're always running the risk of avalanches or, once inside, cave-ins. Even the TOWs must be aimed away from the mountain. You see, due to Olympus' strange origins, it's hard to classify it. We don't even know if it's completely dormant. We must always assume the worst, and so once within Olympus we absolutely cannot set off grenades or high-powered weapons."

Naruto curled his legs together. "Makes sense. So what do we fire?"

"So far we're going to try smaller action guns, blades, and –"

"Wait," Naruto cut in. "Try? You're telling me you've never actually been in the mountain?"

"Oh, we have," TenTen sighed, "but only briefly. When this operation first started we found an entrance at the base and investigated, but the inside is pretty…" she seemed at loss for words, and shrugged. "Well, impossible. You see, it was like an ice maze."

Naruto leaned back in disbelief. "An ice maze? Inside a mountain."

Sakura grinned. "Yeah. Like ant tunnels, just going on and on."

"So you're pretty much just winging it."

"Yes. We're also thinking of chemical agents, you know, maybe toxic dust or other gases. We still need to work that out though, figure out the effects with the cold and all that." Sakura seemed pretty animated at the thought, which Naruto distantly thought was pretty grisly.

TenTen glanced at her analog watch. "Time's up, everyone. Good work Naruto, tomorrow we'll start on the Javelin."

He smiled and waved goodbye enthusiastically, then walked out of the range with his cell. He rolled the kinks out of his neck. "Okay! What next?" he exclaimed.

Kakashi seemed as amused by his enthusiasm as Sasuke was put off by it. "Tomorrow we'll go over the rest of mountain operations. For today I want to see your level in analysis. Sakura says you're useless in healing-" He ignored Naruto sticking his tongue out at Sakura "-and Shikamaru gave up on you for strategy…. But maybe there's still some hope for you yet in recon."

Naruto brightened. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

They spent the rest of the session before lunch grilling Naruto on the mountain's conditions, cell movement and positioning, advancement, and Guard statistics. Naruto felt like he had learned more in a small week than he had during all of college. He showed a knack for improvising theoretical tactics but finally admitted he might not be worth much for practical reconnaissance. He was just too loud, Sasuke never failed to remind him.

After lunch they separated and Naruto walked alone with a heavy heart toward T12. He'd managed to put it off his mind since morning, but honestly he did not look forward to exploring the malignant power inside him. What would happen? No one knew exactly where the special forces training would lead, Jiraiya had said. Naruto frowned when a thought came to him. Weren’t Kakashi and Sasuke also trained in special forces? What 'powers' did they have? Why did they not accompany him?

Then he remembered the red surge and the destruction. …Never mind. Better leave them as far away as possible. Since he knew he and Gaara were the only Carriers in the whole base, he suspected their power would possibly be dangerous around anyone else.

Gaara was already present when he entered, but they did not speak or even look at each other. Naruto felt a few of the earlier sensations return, but much fainter. With dedication he managed to ignore the pressure. He spent the time counting the cracks in the ceiling and noting that they had not removed the camera. They had cleaned the floor, but the craters were still clearly visible.

Finally Jiraiya entered, but he was not alone. Sir Tsunade walked in directly behind him, her presence – and breasts, he mentally snickered - still as imposing.

Everyone nodded to each other in polite greeting. Naruto just eyed them all in suspicion. "What's the old lady doing here?"

Jiraiya smiled as Tsunade's eye twitched. "I'm here to help you, you brat." They had long ago dropped formality’s in the face of Naruto’s power to annoy.

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms. "Don't need it."

"Really." She made a point of eyeing the destroyed floor.

He thought of the toar of energy… pressure… needles inside his skin. Naruto sagged a bit. "Alright. How can you help me?"

"First things first." Tsunade gripped her necklace and lifted it around her head. She presented it to him almost tenderly. "This pendant has strong divine origins. Gaara has tested it and claimed that it helps subdue One – it should work for you as well."

Naruto looked at it carefully. It was simple as far as jewelry went. A crystal shard flanked by two smaller gem orbs on either side, all sky blue in color, connected by a mere black string. Still, what he thought strangest about it was the affection Tsunade seemed to hold for it. He marveled at it and it’s strangeness. Naruto accepted it graciously and a small smile flirted on Tsunade's lips as she dropped the necklace over his hair and about his neck.

"It was a family heirloom," she explained softly, without prompting. "I've always sensed a powerful energy from it. I know you've suffered –" her eyes flashed as they met Naruto's solidly –"and I, as well as all of Konoha, will do our best to help you. We only ask that you try to help us in return."

Naruto observed the necklace, rolling between his thumb and index finger. Yes, he did feel a strange tingling sensation from it, but it was nothing compared to the warmth in his heart. He was ashamed to have thought wrong of her. He looked up to Tsunade and bestowed her with a large smile. "Of course," Naruto said.

She smiled back, and Naruto could see the truth in it.

A chuckle brought him to attention. "Aaaand, cut," Jiraiya said, slapping his palms together. "I'm loving the love here."

Tsunade scowled and elbowed him in the chest. Jiraiya buckled and clutched at it, heaving. "Sorry," he croaked.

"If we could proceed," Gaara's dry voice made his impatience at the silliness clear.

The soft look was gone from Tsunade's face, and she seemed impenetrable again. She addressed Naruto firmly. "Right, let's begin. The purpose of this training is to attempt to control Nine, and-or at least harness some of its power for yourself. You’ll find this necklace will amplify your efforts, and dampen Nine’s. Now… to do that you must first know it. With the aid of the necklace you should be able to speak to it."

Apprehension washed through him as he digested her words. "….Speak?" Naruto said slowly.

Gaara looked at him darkly, no love wasted on his tone. "You are connected mentally as well as physically, though a barrier exists to keep the Carrier and the demon separate. My own barrier is weak, but I have established control. You, on the other hand, seem to have the strongest shield."

Naruto's voice fought past the lump in his throat, and he swallowed. "Not true. Nine went crazy when I first met you."

Gaara didn't seem impressed. "That's to be expected, the shock of feeling another energy similar to it's own would have startled you and Nine. The leak in energy was merely because your reactions were so strong.”

Naruto shook his head, but more with refusal than with denial of Gaara's words. "It might break if I try to speak to it then."

A snort. Naruto was surprised by Gaara's short temper. "It won't. Just fucking do it."

Naruto looked at Jiraiya and Tsunade. She offered no pity.

"Gotta do it, kid," Jiraiya said. "Need to get the basics down, see what you can learn from it and if you can cooperate."

The idea calmed him down some, not because it was likely but because Naruto realized he was being childish, Gaara's face told him as much. Above all, he did not want to seem weak and it was past time to face his fears. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't. Naruto finally sighed with resolve.

"What do I have to do?" He asked after taking a deep thoughtful breath. He felt slightly nauseous.

"Close your eyes and concentrate," Jiraiya said with a smirk. "We'll do the rest."

Naruto frowned but closed his eyes and turned his senses inward. He had managed to find something yesterday, when he had been desperate to stop the tide of power sweeping towards Gaara. But where, and how…

Five fingers jabbed into his stomach and Naruto's eyes flew open, but already they were misting over with red. He felt himself fall into someone's waiting arms, then the pressure turned him inside out and he was no longer in T12.

He was in a sewer.

When the red haze cleared he was standing in the middle of a long corridor, pipes and filth adorning the walls as far as he could see. Visibility was low but he had the sense that the corridor stretched forever in both directions, with no doors on the walls. Dark water that was a little too thick for his liking reached to his ankles, and he couldn't find the source of the smell of decay. The low ceiling made him feel claustrophobic.

He took a bold step forward. The sloshing of the water accompanied the multiple steady drips resonating eerily throughout the corridor.

I've moved up in life, he thought sarcastically. His feet squelched with water in his shoes. Oh yes. Go talk to it, Naruto! Go face your fears, Naruto! Go see the big bad beastie who lives in a sewer.

Suddenly Naruto chuckled, kicking his feet and listening to the water gurgle. Did this mean his mind was in the gutter now?

Something growled.

Naruto stilled, arms previously flailing now frozen in the rancid air.

It had come from the darkness ahead.

He realized with surprise that he was not the least bit afraid. He was merely… curious. Naruto took a step, and another, until he was plowing down the corridor with confidence. He knew without a doubt what awaited him further on. He'd thought he'd feel trepidation, at least, but instead Naruto felt the most peculiar feeling eating away at him. The growling was becoming louder, more frequent, more eerie in pitch. Eternities later his corridor suddenly opened into a chamber.

Before him was a massive gate, stretching what seemed like miles above his head, and disappearing underneath the water. A piece of paper stuck to the tiny gap where the two doors met. What caught his attention, however, was the bubbling water spilling between the bars and almost touching him. Behind the bars the bubbles grew and darkened, rising, forming a shape - a snout - eyes -

The fox grinned at him, teeth easily the size of Naruto's entire body. Its rancid breath almost made Naruto back away, but he held firm, something bubbling inside of him as well.

One large eye, all that he could see now, stared at him. It was pressed against the bars and it was so close Naruto could see the layers of it. The rest of the fox was lost in the liquid, bubbling darkness. He realized the feeling threatening to overwhelm him. Anger. It was such a surprise he almost failed to recognize it. Now he cultivated the emotion, biting off his words with venom.

"How dare you."

HOW DARE I… The fox's mind-voice whispered, the sound filtering into his head. HOW DARE I SAVE YOUR LIFE? Its laugh sounded like the grating of steel, hurting his ears even though he had not really heard it.

"How dare you kill him!" Naruto yelled, fists clenched, sweating. "And how dare you fuck with my life!"

I DID NOT KILL HIM. The fox said, almost laughing. THAT WAS YOU, LITTLE ONE.

"No. It was you. And save my life? You're done nothing but ruin it!" Naruto said with a voice of fire. The massive eye blinked, causing it to temporarily vanish from sight and reappear.

YOU ARE A FOOL TO PROVOKE ME. HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR MY GIFTS YOU WOULD BE A CORPSE IN A CASKET, A CARCASS IN THE SNOW. I HAVE SAVED YOU MORE TIMES THAN YOU ARE WORTH.

"Ha," Naruto relaxed. Anger was melting into courage. "Let me guess. If I die, you go with me, right?"

The darkness bubbled and the form of a fox's head was visible again. Its mouth opened wide, but behind the gleaming stinking fangs he saw only the same darkness. This time both eyes were visible. Their stare seemed to pierce through him.

DO NOT TELL ME YOU WOULD SACRIFICE YOUR LIFE TO BE RID OF ME, LITTLE ONE.

"Nothing of the sort," Mischievous glee rose inside him. "You've caused me a lot of pain, see? And I'm doing you a favour, letting you live in my body undisturbed for so long. So I want some compensation, understand?"

Silence – then barking, grating laughter against his mind. GYAHAHA! NOT LACKING IN GUTS, NOR STUPIDITY. VERY WELL. BUT NEVER FORGET – YOU ARE AT THE MERCY OF KYUUBI, AND YOUR GIFTS ARE BORROWED. ONE DAY I SHALL RETRIEVE THEM.

Then the bubbles surged at him. There was a powerful roar clashing through the bars and Naruto felt the impact a second before his eyes opened with shock, staring at the bright lights of the ceiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/antiarmor/tow.html is a great site explaining army weapon systems including TOWs, Javelins, and others mentioned in this chapter.
> 
> 2) TOW stands for Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire command-link guided. The TOW surface attack guided missile is an antitank weapon that may also be used against bunkers and similar fortifications. See here for more info: http://incolor.inetnebr.com/iceman/pilot86.htm
> 
> 3) AK-47s are notorious for being able to function in all sorts of conditions, including being covered in mud and blood! Hence why I choose them here: for practical reasons, not because I’m not creative ;)
> 
> 4) "Operational Terrain Levels Level Description: I. The bottoms of valleys and main lines of communications. II. The ridges, slopes, and passes that overlook valleys. III. The dominant terrain of the summit region."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warning: Gore, trauma, action, &amp; Guards.

Orochimaru strode down the brilliantly lit hallway, his assistant Kabuto a few steps behind him. He smirked to himself, dark reptilian eyes narrowing in anticipation. These boys were the best – he had made sure of it. It would take more effort than previously planned, but he was by no means defeated.

"Right here, sir," Kabuto said as they approached a nondescript door. "Number 435, Juugo."

"The best, you say," Orochimaru said silkily, but it came out like a hiss. He trailed his fingers over the door like a lover.

Kabuto nodded. "Absolutely."

Orochimaru sneered and he swiftly pulled the door open. Like a bullet shot off, a force accelerated towards him from the dark confines of the room – a large hand clawed towards his throat – eyes blazing like fire – and Orochimaru's arm shot up, grabbing the boy by the face.

They stood still.

Orochimaru tsked. "No respect." His malicious grin grew even bigger as his hand clenched and blood squirted from between the boy's lips and from the cuts of his nails. The boy's hands reached up to encircle Orochimaru's wrist and his feet scuffled at the floor for purchase, but Orochimaru gave no quarter.

"Kuh… kill!" The boy grunted, blood slipping down his neck, voice muffled by the crushing hand. One of his own released the wrist and instead sought for Orochimaru's face, the skin of the arm darkening, bubbling, and growing into a hideous axe.

Orochimaru grunted and threw the boy away. The second he hit the floor the large boy was lunging for him, axe swinging, releasing a scream of rage. He stopped suddenly when a katana was neatly pointed at his heart. The boy's chest heaved, and his hair was as wild as his eyes. He wore only a pair of cut off pants and a t-shirt, but his large size made him nonetheless incredibly threatening. He gasped his breath out, eyes darting towards Orochimaru then Kabuto and back.

Orochimaru chuckled. "How advanced. I'm pleased."

Juugo stood panting, his gaze still wild. Half of his face was obscured by an eerie black growth, and his left eye was completely blackened save for a white pupil. He seemed to be regaining his wind. "KILL!" He abruptly screamed, knocking aside Orochimaru's sword and going for him again in the blink of an eye.

But Orochimaru was faster. He was instantly behind Juugo, blade scraping along his pulsing throat, his other arm hanging limp with carelessness. His eyes narrowed in distaste and his voice was a snake weaving sinfully through his words. "Stop this nonsense, or I'll kill you."

Another gasp. Like a broken spell, the black growth was receding, the blade melting back into his arm.

"Who am I?" Orochimaru hissed, blade digging deeper, cutting into Juugo's jugular.

"Orochimaru… s-sir…" Juugo heaved.

"Will you obey?" The blade dug a little deeper.

"Yes…"

Orochimaru broke the sword's kiss and sheathed it back at his hip. He evaluated the large scared boy now standing before him.

"Number 435, abnormal strength even before experimentation, does not react well to treatment. Not fit to be a host, but adequate for battle. Condition is extremely advanced. Created a separate personality to cope with the side-effects." Kabuto read easily from his chart, unperturbed by their episode. He adjusted his glasses.

Orochimaru smiled his snake smile. "What a lovely creature. Come, puppet. There is one last stop, and then I will tell you your purpose."

Juugo, now completely subdued, nodded. The three made their way down the hall and entered through large double doors.

It was a large rec hall, only there was no amusement to be found. Every boy – and a few girls – was dressed in simple white garments, and all were around Juugo's age or younger. They fell to silence and parted to clear Orochimaru's path as he approached, his crisp echoing footsteps ominous. His eerie grin stretched wider, and his sharp black suit made him unavoidable in the stark room. His presence filled all who came across him with dread, and he knew and reveled in it.

They crossed the room and came to a stop in front of a boy with long hair, one side of it tied in a long bead, sitting idly at a table. He had circles for eyebrows, and looked up at them with a blank face.

"Kimimaro. Sir came all this way to see you. Aren't you honoured?" Kabuto said with a sneer in his voice. He pushed up his glasses with the tip of a finger.

Kimimaro stood up and bowed. "Very honoured, sir." His eyes flickered to Juugo once he straightened.

Orochimaru's movements did not conceal his glee. "Follow, boy. Your time has come."

Kimimaro followed obediently with the others as he turned. The four exited the room, leaving the remaining children to glance uneasily and scornfully at each other.

The meaning for their existence was approaching.

Naruto hummed, eyes closed. He breathed in deep, focusing on the sensation of oxygen filling his lungs, visualizing, and as he exhaled –

A crackle of energy ripped itself loose from him, flames flickering like lightning toward his opponent.

They did not hit their mark, and instead rebounded toward him as they struck Gaara's shield. With what was almost a grin, Naruto focused and lashed out an arm to conjure an ethereal wind that swept out and negated the flames.

Gaara's defense dropped and he nodded at Naruto stiffly. "Adequate," he said.

Naruto gasped for breath, hunching over with his hands on his knees, and wiped some sweat from his brow. "Whew – pulls a lot out of you, this demonic energy stuff."

Gaara said nothing, instead looked at Jiraiya. The older man nodded. "You've attained a surprising amount of control, Naruto. It's only been a week." He did seem rather impressed. "But now I'd like to see how well you can contain yourself against someone other than a Carrier."

Naruto looked up, startled. "What? No way! I'd kill them, you crazy coot!"

Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched. "Don't mock the power of Konoha, runt. Trust me, these guys are more than capable."

And then, if on cue - Kakashi strolled in the room, followed by Sasuke.

Naruto's jaw dropped, and Sasuke smirked at him.

"So that's why you were laughing at me at lunch," Naruto muttered.

Jiraiya was surprised. "Uchiha can laugh?"

Naruto giggled as Sasuke's brow furrowed. "Don't be silly! I was just exaggerating his goddamn smirk."

Jiraiya coughed, clearly amused but not up to dealing with the moody soldier. "Gaara, you may go." He nodded as the boy did, not sparing anyone a second glance. "Now Naruto. You may be one of the few Carriers, but you are only one of many with special abilities. These two –" and he motioned with his chin to Sasuke and Kakashi – "have advanced sight. We're going to be testing your speed."

Naruto's eyes widened. Finally, the mystery of their secret skill! "What – you mean – both at once? And whaddaya mean, 'advanced sight'?"

Jiraiya smirked. "You'll see," he said, and then chuckled as if he had been told a joke. "The point is, you gotta hit them, even once. Don't go easy on them. Remember, brat - if you can't pass this, then you have no hope for the exam tomorrow. This is an order - do your best!"

His fire replenished, Naruto cracked his knuckles as he faced off against his cell member and his mentor. "As if I ever do anything else," he said as he rolled his neck from side to side, expression serious. "Watch me kick their asses!" Jiraiya laughed again and stood at the far end of the room. Kakashi put his book away.

Sasuke scowled. "Daring to dream, huh?"

No one waited for the signal. Instead, the second he saw the resolution in their posture, Naruto shot toward the two. He aimed to land a kick on both, manifesting his energy into balls of spinning wind at his feet. The attack was clumsy and would not have done much damage even if it had landed – Kakashi dived off to the side and Sasuke ducked, spinning around to land his own kick in Naruto's spine. Naruto shot forward but caught himself in a roll, turning swiftly to block Sasuke's punch with his own fist, but the hit landed anyway. In the split second when they were close to each other, Naruto noted with surprise that Sasuke's eyes were red. Then he bent and twisted to barely dodge Kakashi's strike, flipping backwards to avoid being locked in.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya yelled. "This isn't a boxing match! Use that power!"

Naruto grunted as he again ducked from Kakashi's flying kick. Their attacks kept coming at him so fast he rarely had a chance to go on the offensive, and even then he always missed. He threw himself forward and balanced on one hand as both his legs flew out, but Sasuke ducked right before impact and Kakashi was no longer even in range. Righting himself, Naruto took a jab to the shoulder but escaped another by contorting out of the way and tried for a double kick – Sasuke dodged the first one but was trapped in the path of the second foot, and he went flying. Kakashi came up behind him and got in a nasty blow to the arm, but Naruto managed to face him and drop out of the way of another strike. He gathered his will and pulled energy from within himself, releasing a blast of piercing air at his opponents – but Kakashi and Sasuke had easily cleared it, instead closing on him in a pincer movement. Doubtlessly they expected him to dive in between them to escape, but instead Naruto fell back and again gathered the energy to build in front of him, and released a wide scythe of scorching red wind.

Sasuke and Kakashi crossed their arms to block the hit but could not avoid it in midair. They went flying when the attack struck.

Naruto, gasping, looked at Jiraiya, who humphed. "Match over," he said loudly. "Cheap shot though."

Naruto shrugged, not bothered by the fact that an all-encompassing blast was not permitted. He waited until he had regained his breath to speak as Sasuke and Kakashi pulled themselves up gingerly. "If it was outta the rules, you oughta have told me before." And it had soon become pretty obvious that nothing else would work, what with the eerie way they could dodge most of his attacks. Naruto suspected this was the 'advanced sight'.

Kakashi took the loss gracefully, eye curved, tone pleased. "Good work, Naruto! I knew it'd be no trouble for you."

Naruto rolled his eyes. If it had not been for Nine's power, he would have never landed a single hit.

Sasuke obviously thought the same thing. His face promised no love was lost as he spat at Naruto, "You're only able to keep up because you're a Carrier. You'd be dead otherwise."

The jab stung because it hit close to home. "I'd be able to kick your ass with or without a demon taking residence inside me!" Naruto hissed, stomping forward to grab Sasuke's collar. He was also surprised Sasuke knew about Nine and Carriers at all, but it made sense to inform someone of what they were getting into.

Sasuke snorted, unperturbed, fist rising to punch him if he did not let go very soon. "So why were you nearly dead when we found you?"

This shocked Naruto into releasing him. "Wha - you were there?"

Kakashi hummed in reply. "Yes. Sakura, Sasuke and myself were the ones to find you."

He frowned, dismayed at how much that shocked him. "Well… so what! You're… you've still got an icicle up your ass!" Sasuke bristled in reply.

Jiraiya sighed. "Are they always like this?"

Kakashi hummed again and flipped a page. "Nah, this is actually pretty docile."

Once they were done snarling at each other, Naruto humphed and crossed his arms, bottom lip jutting out comically. He turned his head to blatantly ignore Sasuke. "So, Kakashi! Was that the advanced sight thing?"

Kakashi looked up with his good eye. "Yes. It's a technique called the Sharingan that allows for one to see the planned path of a mobile object a few seconds ahead of time, among other things. Sasuke's technique is even more highly developed than mine."

Naruto frowned and looked back at him. If the technique was in the eyes, naturally Sasuke had the advantage of being able to use both. "Oh. Was that why your eyes were red?"

Sasuke didn't look like he was going to answer, but finally nodded.

Naruto grinned. "Cool! So how'd you get it?" He was genuinely interested in how people could harbor such unique abilities. Since his arrival at Konoha, his view of the world was quickly changing, and it was a cool thought that 'normal' people had such extraordinary abilities. Come to think of it, Sakura's strength did not seem natural either.

"None of your business," Sasuke spat.

Naruto's good mood vanished again. This boy certainly pissed him off like none other. "Jesus, man, chill. You act like I just knifed your kitten or something."

Jiraiya chortled, but Sasuke didn't seem to find it so funny. He snarled his favourite "Whatever, loser," and stomped out, the door slamming shut behind him. Naruto glared at the decimated tiles of S12. They'd need a new room soon, he thought distantly.

"Go easy on each other," Kakashi said offhandedly, bored as always. "Your teamwork suffers for it. He has reasons to be spiteful."

"Really?" Naruto growled. "Because he's been a dick to me since the moment we met, for no reason!" …Well, that wasn't true. There were moments when he and Sasuke almost got along… like during training, when they'd be paired up and bring Sakura down in no time… or at lunch, when he'd seem almost amused with Naruto's antics… but Kakashi didn't need to know that. Or, by the look of amusement on his face, already knew that. Naruto pouted.

"Whatever, he's an ass, and I'll be better than him in no time." It stung to admit he wasn't already, but… he would definitely best Sasuke soon!

Jiraiya was amused. "Well, we'll see, because you're off to spar with your cell for the rest of the day. Meet with your cell tomorrow as usual for instructions about the exam."

"Right," Naruto yawned. Mm, he'd go for some ramen about now. The next month's rations should have arrived by now, so the cooks would have no excuse. Asshole cooks, he thought darkly.

As they said goodbye and walked back to the training range, Naruto mulled over Sasuke. That boy was a bomb waiting to go off, flying off the handle over small comments Naruto didn't mean to be offensive at all. He'd quickly learned that family was a no-no in conversation, and that the boy had an unstoppable drive for strength, but that was all Naruto really knew of him. Well, that and that he had a horde of admirers. He didn't miss the way the few women in Konoha would let their eyes trail after him, or how tense Sakura became when they did. He bit back a sigh – his sweet, caring, pretty, demonically scary Sakura clearly had a crush on him. Not that he was swayed… even if the girl tended to become more and more violent with him. Still, he enjoyed the attention she showed him, positive or not, and it was easier to get a rise out of her when she was in la-la-Sasuke-land.

What was so great about the bastard anyway, he thought sourly. Okay, he was good-looking. So what! So was he! Naruto took a moment to mentally preen. I mean, come on, he had eyes the most unique shade of blue that his old high-school librarian had ever seen – she'd told him so herself. And his hair was a spectacular blond, and his skin was naturally tan! He was a damn Greek god!

You never got any dates in high school, a voice quipped at him.

Shut up, Naruto snarled mentally.

Right, so, Sasuke. A bona fide prick. But why did he fight so hard? What did Konoha mean to him, for him to be so focused on defeating Akatsuki? Naruto clasped his hands behind his head, rolling the thought over. Come to think of it, why did any of Konoha fight so diligently? It was their duty, sure, but duty doesn't inspire the fever he saw in Sasuke, the calm passion in Kakashi, the cocky sureness in Sakura.

He frowned. There were many things he still didn't know. What exactly Olympus had to do with Nine, for one. What was up with the freak storms. What Akatsuki had to do with his parents, and how Konoha knew. He clenched his fists at the thought. How Orochimaru had simply let him vanish, which was horribly out of character. Naruto was playing along, but he knew Konoha was up to something. They had lied to him about Nine, told him they hadn't known what he was carrying, then turned around and started training him, even introduced him to someone else who -

Naruto sighed, trying not to think of his horrible school years. He had always thought he was alone. Red rocks.

No, not many things added up. For all his trust, he found Tsunade slightly suspicious in the way everything just fell into place for her. He admitted reluctantly that he liked the woman, but honestly – he'd played right into her hands. Still, he found himself holding no grudge to Konoha - the place was more of a home to him than Orochimaru's cold mansion. He would simply do his best and try to unearth this whole mystery.

Another thought came to him. Nine… Kyuubi would know. He might not be willing to divulge much, but he'd ask the next time the opportunity arose.

With his thoughts completely occupied, the next day came quickly.

Before breakfast he warmed up with Iruka as usual, feeling exhilarated as his limbs positioned themselves beautifully and his hits now always connected. Well, Iruka was no Kakashi, but he was a powerhouse in his own right, and Naruto was proud to land even a single hit on the man.

Iruka showered him with a large smile. "You're getting better everyday. It's hard to believe you had no training before this."

Naruto grinned back at him, dropping to the floor and sweeping his legs underneath the man. True, street brawls did not exactly inspire finesse. Iruka leapt backwards, one leg flying out to catch Naruto beneath the chin, but he ignored the pain as his teeth snapped together and leaped to attack.

"So whaddaya think?" Naruto boasted, punches flying. "Gonna kick that exam's ass six ways to Sunday?"

Iruka smirked and grabbed his arm, flipping Naruto over his shoulder. "Maybe not six ways. One or two, perhaps."

"Oof!" Naruto wheezed, landing hard on the mat.

"You have the strength, but you're still too readable. Remember, your eyes and posture give you away. Don't let your gaze stray, and don't put your whole body into the blow."

Naruto groaned as he rolled over, not getting up. He stretched. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm ready for some food now."

They walked down to breakfast, Naruto bouncing off his heels in excitement. He spotted TenTen and Sakura through the early morning crowd, and they sat down together.

"So what's this exam gonna be, huh?" Naruto inquired, shoving toast in his mouth. Well, that was what he meant to say, but it came out sounding intelligible.

Sakura, as always, edged away to avoid the flying crumbs. "Don't eat with your mouth full, Naruto."

He gulped it down. "Shorry. 'Meant, what's the exam going to be? Did you guys have to take it?"

TenTen grinned. Iruka and Sakura said nothing, digging into their plates.

He waited a moment more looking expectant, but nothing came. "Oh, come on!" Naruto whined.

But he didn't have long to wait. The time had come. Once they were done they led Naruto out to a sector of the base he had never visited before – the hallways were painted a dark grey, and the rooms were few and far between, like the training hallway. He mused that this must be where the serious stuff went down. After a few tense silent minutes they stopped at an unmarked door.

"Good luck," Iruka and Sakura smiled at him. TenTen nodded and smirked, and Naruto entered alone.

The lights were off, so Naruto heard rather than saw something at the far end of the room shift. The door was swinging shut behind him and he instantly knew that play time was over. Something was coming closer, but its steps were muffled, and Naruto looked around blindly, senses straining. Then he caught a pair of eyes and –

The room around him exploded, twisting itself into a white oblivion.

Through the blizzard he saw it coming for him. Its grotesque beak was all he could focus on, his thought processes blank as he watched the Guard running toward him, bounding across the snow. The beak opened wide, revealing countless thin misshapen teeth, useless wings flapping, stretching, coming closer –

Naruto gave a yell and rolled to the side, barely avoiding the snapping beak and landing in a blanket of snow. His thin uniform was no protection against the numbing cold, but Naruto had no time - it was on him again, so close he could smell the stench. Its head twisted to snap at him, but Naruto managed to get to his feet and leap out of the way. Again it came at him.

Panic gripped his thoughts as realization struck. He was unarmed - blind – it was too close – something was wrong -

It was twice his size but Naruto launched himself at it from the side before it could close in on him, knuckles landing right above its black bead eye. The blow had no effect and Naruto whipped his arm away from the searching beak. The Guard gave a high shriek and slammed into him, his clawed wings useless but holding him down with scaled feet. Naruto sank almost beneath the snow, completely winded. Its beak came down like a bullet but Naruto twisted his head to the side so fast his neck cracked, and his slim hope that it would get its head stuck in the drifts of snow was dashed as it rose up again. Naruto bucked violently to throw it off, but it was not deterred, and its gaping beak flashed down –

Naruto gave a roar and a wall of fire burst from him, striking it point-blank, and it reared back, lost its balance, and toppled over. Great ethereal flames consumed it as it writhed on the snow, screeching, yet the sound was muffled through the flakes and the scene was almost morbidly funny. Naruto was not laughing. He shuffled away from it, nearly hysterical as its great wings thrashed, the fire scorching its feathers black and melting the snow around it. He watched, shaking, as his heart fluttered in sync with its flails, praying. The flames spread.

But its maddened eyes started bleeding and it caught sight of him. Through the blood Naruto saw his doom in its gaze and his own eyes grew impossible wide, reaching in. Help me. Something's wrong. Help me.

Still aflame, the disfigured bird creature flopped awkwardly to regain footing, flapped, and flew straight for him, deadly beak intent on his heart. Upon instinct Naruto held his hands out and saw with his mind's eye a great swirling destruction. He poured all of himself in it, letting it build, forming –

Seconds now, the creature was almost upon him –

Naruto felt the necklace pulse in warning right when he knew the sphere of power was complete, and he unleashed it just as the beak struck true. He didn't even feel it plunging through his chest as he roared – "RASENGAN!" – and he was gone.

There was a flicker, a spasm of time and space, and he was alone in the room which was as large as it was barren. The blinding white of the walls made him feel even colder. Numbly he patted his heart and felt nothing, save for the burning of the necklace searing his skin. He made to take it off, but he found it suddenly incredibly heavy and could not lift it past his chin.

"Help me," someone gurgled.

Startled, Naruto whirled around behind him to see her bound to the wall with cuffs and chains straining from the ceiling. Crimson was smearing the cuffs around her wrist and dribbling down her arms, pooling at her chest. He realized with a gag that she was naked, and that her feet weren't even touching even the floor. Her eyes were glazed but she still saw him, and the effort it took to breathe made more red life trickle from her mouth. Her neck was so mangled it made Naruto sick to see it and left his head spinning.

"Sakura!" he gasped as he lurched for her, stumbling and catching himself on the wall beside her. "Sakura!" he called again, because he did not know what else to do.

Her head flopped to her shoulder and fresh blood slid past her breasts - but she was still breathing, Naruto thought frantically.

"Naruto…" she wheezed. Her voice was liquid with blood in her mouth, her teeth stained. "Help me."

"How?" Naruto cried, afraid of hurting her, afraid of her hurt. He tentatively wiped the blood from the cuffs above her, shaking, seeing no break or lock in them. "How do I get you out of here?"

"Can't," she mumbled, eyes closing.

"Sakura!" he yelled again. "Please! Something's wrong!" He wasn't taking about the red pool beneath her.

"You have to…" Her eyes closed, and for some reason Naruto was grateful. "…Kill me…"

Naruto leapt from her as if burned. "NO!" He cried.

"P-" a weak cough coated her front with blood so thick it was turning black. He ignored the muscles he saw thrumming in her neck. "Please."

For a moment Sakura was replaced with a bigger man, head mashed to meaty bits into the rocks, and then she flickered back again. Naruto was quaking, almost losing his balance and toppling to the ground. "I won't!" He wailed.

"You have to."

And suddenly Sasuke was beside her, sagging limply on the floor. His eyes were gone, neatly removed to show only wiry sockets. No blood pooled in them - a sick contrast to Sakura's blood dress.

Naruto crouched over him, filled with unspeakable terror. "What do you mean!"

Sasuke's head turned to regard him coolly, and Naruto had the sensation of being observed by the stringy fibers dangling from his sockets. His face was so pale it was a sickly yellow, and his limbs were arranged strangely, definitely broken. "I said, you have to. Dumbass."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN!" Naruto shrieked, tears pooling. "I WON'T KILL HER!"

Sakura gurgled again, and her leg started twitching as red curled down it.

"It would be kinder to put her out of her misery," Sasuke said blandly. "Can't you see she's suffering?"

Naruto made a noise in the back of his throat, ready to vomit. "Wha – what about you? Sasuke! This is wrong!"

"You've just realized that," Sasuke said flatly. The boy turned his head to face the stark ceiling. "You won't kill her?"

It physically hurt him to watch her dying spasms. His heart felt ready to explode and his stomach was revolting. "No…" Naruto whispered, not sure which question he was answering.

"Then there's nothing else for it," Sasuke answered simply. He pulled himself up with his one good arm, the other hanging limp and twisted at his side. He could only manage to kneel before sliding back down since the opposite leg was jutting forward at the knee. Naruto slid his arms beneath and heaved him up, letting Sasuke lean his whole weight against him.

"What are you doing?" Naruto whispered, impossibly sad.

"I'm going to kill you," Sasuke said. "You can stop me." And he freed his arm to reach at Naruto's throat and squeezed. It had the effect of a vice – the unnatural force in the grip cut off his air immediately, and Naruto fought to see through his dimming vision. His mouth opened automatically, gulping for air, but still he did not release Sasuke.

"So come on," Sasuke said in an irritated tone, voice now muddled in Naruto's ears. "Just promise you'll end her misery, and I'll let go. Death by suffocation is pretty messy."

It was almost funny, comparing his neat pain to Sakura's. Naruto did his best to shake his head, making him feel even sicker.

He dimly saw Sasuke's brow furrow, and the effect was eerie without eyes to narrow underneath them. "No?" He asked, perplexed. "So you'll let her die? Come on, I can't help her. Why not?"

Naruto wheezed with his last living breath, "Won't kill anymore," and darkness again saved him.

He was walking down Nine's corridor, the pitch black so absolute he could not see a thing – but he heard it's growls and continued sloshing through the water. The drips kept him company, marking his progress. Thoughts started trickling in slowly as he went, but he had the feeling he didn't want to remember.

"-him out," a voice said.

Naruto's eyes widened in an effort to see who was speaking, twisting his head in every direction. Still he could see absolutely nothing.

"Get him out!" The voice said again, much clearer this time. It was a shriek filled with panic that was hard for anyone to ignore.

Naruto wondered what was so urgent as he continued down the corridor, getting closer to Nine with every step. There was a sense of unease about him, like something was off, but he could not place it. Ah, didn't matter. He could hear the bubbling water, faintly, almost there now…

"Out, NOW!"

And -

To Be Continued


	8. Chapter 8

-His heart was beating erratically, sweat chilling his burning flesh, the wet cold replaced with wracking shivers despite the overwhelming heat. He was so cold, too hot. He was frozen with fear, afraid of what was coming next.

"Release him, Shikamaru," a voice nearby murmured, and it was even further muffled by the silence screaming in his ear. He recognized that voice. It was the one -

And suddenly he was free. His eyes flew open and he lay trembling, sweating, mouth opening and shutting. Realization struck and he sat up, feverish, hands clawing at his neck. The necklace seared the skin it rested on.

He was fine.

"Calm yourself," the voice soothed. It became clearer, as if about to break surface of the water. "They were only illusions."

His world clarified itself, and Naruto became aware. He let his eyes lock onto the owner of the voice: a comely woman with disheveled hair and the strangest eyes – I know those eyes – stood over him, mouth tight.

"You're okay," she said. "Stand up." And she reached to pull him up by his arm but he flung it away, planting his feet on the floor and getting up uncertainly. His shivers were so great that his hands seemed to have a life of their own, clenching to hold onto what wasn't there. He heard another presence move and saw Shikamaru beside her, watching him, his expression worn and worried. Naruto felt nothing for them. The silence made his head spin and he pushed his palms into his eyes, the pain forcing away the hideous images. Once he had worked the spots of colour from his vision, he managed the strength to speak.

"This was your test?" He gasped, still shivering, the necklace still searing. The room – the same from the second illusion – was completely empty save for the three of them. It scared him.

"Something went wrong," The woman whispered. She seemed to be biting off her next words, which Naruto knew were I'm sorry.

He was disgusted.

"Naruto," Shikamaru's voice cut in, seeing his black expression. He spoke fast. "This wasn't how it was meant to happen, okay? Kurenai usually has full control over the illusions, but something - probably Nine - fucked with it. We didn't – it wasn't meant to-"

Naruto shook his head, making him dizzy. He took a few shaky steps back, but a voice of reason – oh how he hated that bitch - told him to put off denial and try to understand. At least he didn't feel like vomiting quite yet. "Then what was it meant to do? Scare the shit out of me? Well you got it," he wheezed.

The woman started. "No! – Well, not at the end. Listen. You're supposed to wake up, or at least finish the illusion, at the first physical pain. The first one was all mine, but when you did – that - something tore away my control, leaving only my will."

Naruto struggled to focus. "The first illusion – the Guard? What was that supposed to achieve? And what do you mean?"

Shikamaru looked to Kurenai. She frowned. "I was first testing your will against the Guard, to see if you were prepared for another assault from one. Then, even though you were hit, I managed to keep you there to pull you into the next one - until something else reacted, most likely to that attack you used. From then I was powerless to do anything but watch. The next illusion was going to test your dedication to your teammates, but Nine took that intent and… distorted the whole thing. Again the illusion stops when pain hits, but you were immediately taken to another one. I was trapped along with you – the last illusion had nothing to do with me. It…" she paused as if in pain, "I can't say how, but I knew it was dangerous. I knew we had to get you out of there, but I couldn't do anything. Shikamaru had to drag us out."

She made a motion to her hand, and he noticed that her left pinky finger was broken – it was sticking out perpendicular to her hand. He offered her a mental wince, though she was taking it rather calmly. Naruto looked down at himself, but did not see any physical injuries. I guess that's how you force someone out of an illusion, he thought, though he wondered why he wasn't hurt. He remembered being unable to move at first, and guessed it again had something to do with Shikamaru. Still, his whole body ached, though the trembling had calmed slightly.

Naruto shook his head again. The images were not leaving his mind's eye, but his sick dread was replaced with familiar anger at the demon. "Nine," he hissed, voice dripping maliciousness. Kyuubi. That explained the unshakable feeling of unease throughout the ordeal. "He did this, huh? What did he want with me?"

Shikamaru sighed. "We have no way of knowing. Tell us, Naruto. What did Kurenai mean, 'that attack you used'? What was it, and why do you think it provoked Nine?"

Naruto said nothing, closing his eyes. He didn't know. They allowed him the momentary peace.

"Come on," Kurenai finally said. "You need rest to recuperate from that." She looked as weary as he felt. He imagined her strange power and Shikamaru's binding spell must take a lot of out them as well, but he didn't feel too sympathetic at the moment.

"Whatever," he said tiredly. "I sure hope I passed that goddamn exam then, 'cuz I'm not sure it was worth it."

Shikamaru did look slightly amused at that as Naruto refused his help to walk. Neither soldier said anything as he walked shakily from the forsaken room and made his way to his own, falling into bed and hoping to god that for once he'd sleep without dreaming. This nightmare would last him weeks.

They were probably off to report to Tsunade or something, he thought with a weary sigh. Whatever. Old woman could worry and question him once he was up to it. As he pulled the covers over him and snuggled in, he distantly wondered what they'd say to his cell when they informed him of his absence. He wasn't sure if he cared or not, didn't really know what to think anymore. The thought of Sakura... Sasuke… their mangled bodies came to him again, and it made him angry as well as sick. He pushed the thoughts from his mind, and fell immediately to a different kind of darkness.

He did not dream. He floated in colourless space and waited.

He woke slowly, feeling worn but unable to place why. He blinked repeatedly and shuffled up to crane his neck, peering at the impersonal alarm clock at the other side of the bed. Four o'clock in the afternoon. What the hell?

…Oh yeah.

He remembered with a grimace, but again ignored the onslaught threatening to follow. He was a little sweaty, so after stumbling from bed Naruto gathered some clothes and made his way to the showers. He usually showered once a day, whenever he had time. Some days he skipped showers, but everyone was busy smelling just as bad as he did after training to notice. Now was as good a time as ever. Naruto took that chance to compose himself in the oppressive heat.

After climbing out and drying off, Naruto let himself wonder what to do with the rest of the day. Too early for dinner, too late to meet up with cell seven… his stomach turned at the thought. He didn't really want to see any of them so soon anyway. He wandered to the cafeteria and punched in his code to grab a bite from a snack machine, – the fact that Konoha had these things amused him greatly – and decided to stroll through the base. Most of it was unrestricted access anyway, and everyone always had some kind of business to attend to, so it wasn't like he'd be in anyone's way just by wandering around. Besides, the tour he'd gotten upon joining was quick and didn't encompass the whole building. What better moment to sight-see than now? Naruto had always been curious by nature, and it hadn't killed him yet. He smiled wryly at the thought. It sure had gotten him in some interesting situations though.

He strolled through the corridors, thinking about nothing and everything. Why did it always have to be so bloody cold here? If Konoha could manage monthly deliveries and massive power cables, you'd think they could put up with cranking up the heat as well. Come to think of it, it had to suck for the delivery trucks – or whatever it was they used to transfer supplies. He dimly remembered Iruka mentioning helicopters, or maybe planes. He giggled to himself, fumbling as he shoved more chips into his mouth. That meant there was a landing pad on the roof, right? But wasn't it snowing 24/7? Did they shovel everyday or what? And he'd never noticed a second level to the base. From the outside it had seemed to be only one storey, but again his vision had been severely limited. Still, there had to be a way to get up there somehow. He started spying on the walls for ladders or something of the kind, feeling like a sleuth. Not a very cool one though, what with the lack of a trench coat and hat and all that. He had about as many questions as one though, and that counted, right?

His musings had taken him to the end of a corridor, a weird purple one he hadn't seen before. He couldn't really imagine what it was for, and the doors weren't labeled. He briefly debated poking his head inside any random one when he saw the massive double doors in front of him - and the two guards glaring at him suspiciously, M16s with the safety on but still ready. Naruto grinned widely and held his hands up in a gesture of peace, then wiped his mouth and turned away. He didn't envy guard duty, what with the massive protocol they had to follow. Come to think of it, there must be cameras all over the place too. Iruka had handed him a booklet and some field manuals that he only glanced at, but he knew there were great procedures to undertake for facility defense. He was glad he didn't have to bother with any of that.

Naruto finished the chips and wandered back to the centre of the base, where the cafeteria and information centre were. His thoughts drifted to his car, still somewhere out there, probably long lost beneath the snow. It was amazing this building managed to keep itself above the layers of snow at all, with the way it never stopped storming and all. He supposed it must just be another mystery of the place. Naruto realized with regret that he still wasn't completely comfortable here, and that he was tired of being cooped inside – the air had a strange metallic tang he could only detect if focused on it, and the place was always spotless and bright. Everything here was so…unnatural, and so many things made no sense. He missed the outside, the sun and its warmth. He frowned as he thought of his retrieved possessions. Tsunade had probably only let him gather his things to make him more agreeable, and Naruto saw now how pointless that was – his botany tools and notes were little use to him now, or at least until he got word about that research deal from that Shizune woman. Whatever that would bring. He sighed and pulled open the door of the information centre, ducking inside lest the head librarian see him. Still, it was no use to mope – he had already resigned himself to stick around.

He searched for some tables hidden in the back, shrouded from view by many towering shelves laden with many heavy books. He sighed again and flopped into a cushioned chair, closing his eyes. Still… he didn't really want to leave anymore. He considered Sakura, Iruka, TenTen… they were all his friends. Even Kakashi, and… Sasuke. He couldn't help a smile. Okay, he'll admit it. He hadn't been so driven toward a purpose in ages – hell, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd had a reason to throw himself into anything at all. He'd only attended college because that was simply what you did after high school, and had chosen chemistry at Orochimaru's urgings - and because he had a knack for chemical bonding equations. He laughed a little. How pathetic, letting his life be dominated like that. Now… now he had something to stand for, something he knew was real. Friends he cared for, and reason to get up in the morning. Even if that reason was mostly to (one day) beat Sasuke's face into the ground, and to spite Tsunade, and to clear his personal mysteries. And yet it had only been… what? One week? Around that.

"Hey," someone said softly.

Naruto opened his eyes to see Sakura smiling at him tenderly. His stomach revolted, images flickering in his head: Sakura held up by chains, bleeding, neck mangled… He tensed and banished them. He wasn't ready, but who was asking?

"Hey," he returned with a wan smile. If Sakura saw his discomfort, she didn't mention it. Instead, she took a seat beside him and settled in it with ease. He didn't question how she found him, it didn't matter. Naruto watched her carefully, realizing that he was actually glad to see her. It hurt, but at the same time it was therapeutic. I guess I just needed a friend, Naruto thought. It was kind of funny.

"What's so funny?" Sakura asked him quietly, fiddling with the zipper on her shirt absentmindedly.

"Heh. I was just wondering what everyone does around here," Naruto grinned. "And if I should even care, if I passed that test at all."

Sakura looked at him, but he couldn't read her expression. She said after a few moments of quiet, "I don't know if you passed or not, and I don't know what happened, but Tsunade told us it was best to let you rest for today." She hesitated at Naruto's slight flinch, and placed a hand on his arm. "It's okay, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. We're just… surprised. It usually doesn't scare anyone that bad. Please don't think we torture all recruits or something," she joked.

Naruto shook his head at her, almost morbidly amused that she didn't know what he had seen. Thankfully, whatever Tsunade had been told about the visions, she had kept them to herself. He wondered what Sakura would think if she knew what exactly had transpired. Or what Sasuke would think.

"Don't worry about it. Shouldn't you be somewhere? Actually, what did you guys do before I dragged you all along for my training?"

Sakura dropped her soothing hand, and Naruto missed the contact instantly. "No, don't worry about it." She used to hand to sweep some hair behind her ear and smiled tiredly. "Oh, we do the same thing as you, just all day. More intense, in-depth stuff that you'll be getting to shortly. There's not much down time. Besides, there's not a lot to do when you've been here practically all your life."

Naruto's eyebrow rose. He had to fight the urge to ask her why, and how. It was too personal. He thought of all the people here his age, their purpose, and where there parents were, and how they had accepted this reality of extraordinary powers and guns and monsters. It was such a large and frightening thought that he couldn't leave it alone.

"What do you fight for?" Naruto asked softly.

Sakura looked surprised at the question. After a moment's consideration, she answered. "My parents," she said in a voice as soft as Naruto's. "They were just civilians. A Guard took them out. It was the first rampage on my town, the closest to the mountain. My parents had hidden me somewhere while they looked for stuff to fight them off. I can't remember much, but I know I never heard anything, and I couldn't get out. I started screaming. I thought they had forgotten me." She took a breath, no longer seeing him. "I was found the next day and taken to Konoha. They… they never let me see their bodies, but I knew. They didn't need to tell me." Her smile, still distant, was grim. Naruto was surprised she trusted him to tell him this. "I fight to remind those Akatsuki bastards that they are not really gods, that they have no right to take away good people's lives and the innocence of children."

Naruto closed his eyes and turned away. It was such a brutal story that he couldn't manage to say "I'm sorry," because it was such a meager reassurance compared to the horrible reality, and because he couldn't bring himself to put himself in her place.

"It's okay. It was long ago. Konoha is my family now." She said gently. "And you? If you don't mind me asking. Why did you agree to join?"

Naruto released a large breath. He pulled the memories from the back of his mind, laying them out to tell them in order. He'd never had to tell this story before. "Never knew my parents," he said eventually. "Actually, I can't remember my early years. It's just a big blank. My first – my very first memory ever – is walking into Orochimaru's house, holding someone's hand as I looked up at him. Then they let go and walked out. I'm told he's my Godfather, and I've lived with him all my life. Even for college. Tsunade tells me that Akatsuki's at fault for whatever happened to my parents, and somehow I believe her. I mean, it's not like they called or anything, or someone told me, but I've always known they were dead. I could never find anything about them either." He closed his eyes again to concentrate, to decide what to reveal. "I've never – never had many friends in school. Never really had a reason to stick around anywhere. At one point Orochimaru and I moved here, sometime when I was in grade school. I never really bothered getting to know people. Hell, I've lived around here since then and I still don't know the place. Didn't bother with the mountains around here – at least until I had to, for school -, didn't know there were dangers like the Guards roaming around… I never went anywhere. Just sat around for the most part, listened to music, read manga, went to school." He opened his eyes and grinned at Sakura's neutral expression.

"So when all this happened," he swept an arm out at the library, the whole of Konoha, "I guess something just clicked. Like I had a place to be all of a sudden, and a chance to find out why I've been stuck with Orochimaru. Why my parents never came for me. Why I've always -" he swallowed, "-always felt different. Now I know it's because of Nine, but I still don't know how I got stuck with him."

Sakura sat quietly, absorbing his story. She looked up at him questioningly. "And yet you've never heard of Konoha, even from Orochimaru?"

Naruto cocked his head to the side, arms flung out behind the chair. "Nope. But you sound like you know him."

She nodded. "I do. Well, not personally, but… he, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were the three great warriors. I know he used to work here many years ago…" she trailed off.

Naruto's eyebrows rose to his hairline. Iruka had mentioned the same thing a while ago. "Really," he said slowly. "He's never mentioned a thing about it." Granted, Orochimaru rarely spoke of pleasantries with him, but… Now that he was on that track, Naruto remembered Tsunade asking him if Orochimaru had ever mentioned her… and Jiraiya had stopped by a few times, always putting Orochimaru on edge… If Orochimaru knew of Konoha, perhaps this was why he didn't mind his abrupt departure? So why did he never mention it before?

Hm. Naruto scratched the back of his head. Very mysterious, indeed. "Do you know anything else? Like why there were supposedly 'great'?"

Sakura leaned back like him and stared at the books on a nearby shelf without seeing them. "No. It just never comes up, and when I ask, the older soldiers suddenly find something else to do. All I know is that a long time ago there was some big battle and the three of them were spectacular. Or something." She shrugged, then turned to him with another smile.

"So what made you choose chemistry for your major?" Sakura smiled, settling into an easier topic. "Which university do you go to?"

Naruto smiled to himself. "Horace Mann U. Chemistry, well, cause I've always been interested in sciences. It just comes to me, so it's pretty easy, even though there's not much of a career pool for it. And… I've always liked knowing how to make stuff go boom." He grinned. "Doesn't mean I paid much attention at school though. I think ditching it and coming here was for the best. I couldn't do homework," he dismissed. "It ruined my chillability."

She raised an eyebrow. "Chillability?"

"Yeah. You know. My ability to chill."

"I see. Well believe me, there are plenty opportunities for that out here," Sakura muttered dryly.

Naruto thought it was the funniest thing he'd heard all week, and had to stifle his laughter quick before the librarian found him and kicked him out again. Sakura looked fairly amused as well.

"Say…" he said abruptly, once he had reined in his mirth. "What about… Sasuke." He raised an eyebrow at her. "How'd he end up here?"

Sakura bit her lip and shrugged. "I know his family has worked for Konoha for many generations, and that there was some trouble with them years ago – they're … not around anymore. But that's all. He doesn't talk about it, as you know, and no one else does either. No one really tells our generation much of Konoha's history." she smiled grimly, as though she was aware of many more mysteries.

It was a lot to think about – to the point where he felt like his head was too small to hold all the questions he'd acquired. Naruto hummed and rolled his head against the cushions of the chair. Damn these things were comfortable! If he ever gave in and cracked open those books Iruka gave him, he'd be sure to do it here.

Sakura came back into herself and shook her head as if clear it, and smiled wistfully at him. "So," she said easily, "what do you say to a walk around with me? Kakashi dismissed us early today. I could tell more about Konoha."

He thought it over and agreed. "Sure. I still feel like an outsider here," he confessed. He was actually glad for her company, now that he was able to look into her face without cringing. The events of this morning seemed so long ago now. Was it really the same day?

Naruto rose with Sakura and they sneaked out, Sakura laughing at him when he reminded her why he was banned from the information centre. Apparently she thought throwing a book in someone's face to distract them from gutting him was pretty entertaining. Naruto would have thought so as well if he hadn't had to endure the wrath of the librarian afterwards. What? The book – or two - had only suffered a few scratches! His pride, however, took a much worse beating. He scowled as Sakura tried to stifle her laughter with her fist.

They strolled around the massive base, sometimes talking about unnecessary things, but mostly Naruto badgering her with questions. He learned a lot more. Like, despite the deserted appearance, Konoha actually housed a population numbered in the hundreds. Everyone simply adhered to the respective schedules of their position - most of them were soldiers like him, but placed in a certain specialty or position once they met qualifications. (It explained why he never saw too many people in the hallways or in the cafeteria – the effect had been eerie.) He also discovered that every three months there was transportation for people to come and go, though the security procedure for clearance took most of the day. The last opening had just occurred before his arrival, though Naruto didn't have to ask to know he wasn't going back anytime soon. He asked about the helicopter thing, and Sakura revealed that there was a helicopter pad on the roof – enclosed by a managed, retractable cover – for the lighter cargo, while properly equipped trucks took care of the bigger shipments. Access to the roof was severely limited, Sakura informed him sternly, and she didn't see it fit to tell him how to get up there lest he was up to something. He fed her his best innocent smile.

He also asked what Sakura meant by their 'generation'. She told him that it simply meant the people in their age group, and that you were automatically retired from Konoha at the age of fifty unless by special exemption. Recruitment and training started at any age, but children of Konoha parents began at age eight. Again, it was at their discretion, and most invariably became soldiers. Then Naruto asked about Akatsuki, and how close they were to the final confrontation. Sakura shook her head. They had discovered only few entrances and should uncover them all before moving in, not to mention once they were actually prepared. They were working on stun guns and gases – as Naruto knew – to deal with the Guards, as well as trying to manage the extreme conditions, but recon once within the mountain would prove very difficult. They were currently forming a special team to infiltrate the ice labyrinth because there was probably very little opportunity to hide once inside, and the task would no doubt be monumental. However, she didn't know how far along the operation actually was.

"So what are we going to do once we corner them all?" Naruto asked aloud, fingers locked behind his head in his usual manner. "How many are there? Are they really just people like us?"

Sakura looked at him with serious face. "Again, that's information I don't know, though I suppose the intel centre already does. I guess they'll tell us once the time comes. I'm sure that…" she trailed off and let her fingers glide over the brown paint of the second dormitory sector. "I'm sure that they are just people like us," she started again sadly. "Who else but humans could be so heartless?"

Naruto said nothing, shoving his hands in his pockets.

They continued their stroll, Naruto idly wondering if things would go back to normal tomorrow – if he had any right to stay here at all – and if he'd ever figure out why Nine was fucking with him. That thought led to many, many more, so he cut it off right there to save himself some sanity. He already felt like his head would burst as it was.

Sakura and Naruto had just walked by the meeting rooms, chatting comfortably, Sakura giggling as she told him that he was quite the celebrity - even among those who didn't know about his being a Carrier – because of his stunt on the day he'd arrived. Naruto recalled with a grin how he'd burst into one of the rooms nearly naked. It had been a meeting among the higher-ups, but the tale had quickly trickled down to the latest generations. Naruto had always just assumed people were staring at him because he was new. He gave a delighted laugh.

"So everyone knows about Carriers?" Naruto eventually asked, with murmured surprise. That was rather strange.

"Well, not everyone, but most of us, yes." She said grimly. "I don't know how. Most of our generation doesn't - and very few people know about Nine, so don't worry. Cell Seven was only informed because it was imperative that we know."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. So no one else thought it was freaky that he had a demon kicking back and calling his body home. Yeah, okay. Whatever. Happens everyday, right? He snorted. He'd had enough trouble accepting it himself.

They were passing by the cafeteria when the double doors opened and Naruto stopped in the middle of his sentence. He stared at Sasuke in surprise, and was proud of himself when he didn't see dislocated limbs in the place of his healthy ones. Sasuke stood there, apparently surprised as well.

Quickly recovering, he nodded to Sakura – ignoring him completely, the ass - and made to leave, but Sakura called out, "Hey!"

He paused and turned to look at her questioningly, impatient.

Fiddling with the hem of her long sleeve shirt, she said softly, "Um, Sasuke. Would you like to come with us on our walk?" Her eyes flickered back up to his demurely.

Naruto snorted and crossed his arms, his pose challenging. Perfect. Just what he needed – seeing Sasuke's eyeless sockets while enjoying his uplifting personality. Oh well, it's not like it mattered - the bastard wouldn't agree anyw-

"Sure."

Naruto's eyes widened as Sakura's grin spread. She clapped her hands and gave a little squeal as if resisting the urge to stomp over to Sasuke and drag him along.

"What – hey!" Naruto sputtered. "I don't remember agreeing to this!"

Sasuke gave him The Eye, his chin jutting ever so slightly, and instantly Naruto knew that he'd agreed only to piss Naruto off. He fumed inwardly, mentally cursing Sasuke and all his descendants. Sakura sent him a glare of her own, and Naruto knew she was promising him one hundred years of pain if he ruined this. He sighed and let his head fall back, relenting. This wasn't relaxing at all!

It's their fault if I hurl on their shoes, he fumed bitterly.

So the trio set off once again, no one really controlling the direction, simply moving together unconsciously toward one hallway or another. They didn't say much, letting each simmer in their own thoughts, accompanied by their steps on the sharp ceramic. Sakura walked in the middle, flanked by the other two, and a small smile played on her face. Naruto recalled her earlier words and questioned exactly how much free time they were allowed, if Sakura seemed to be enjoying this simple walk so immensely. They truly were soldiers, he mourned. They were playing with fire. They were children stalking monsters.

Sakura started humming pleasantly, and Naruto recognized the tune. He joined in softly, just for a few bars. Sakura seemed delighted and grinned at him. Sasuke said nothing, but his shoulders slumped imperceptibly. The melody wrapped them in a small bubble of music. They kept walking.

Naruto broke off all of a sudden to release a loud bark of laughter. Sasuke glanced at him behind Sakura's head but Naruto shrugged it off happily. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Have you ever thought of – " Naruto stopped himself. Maybe this was going too far.

They both looked at him questioningly. He grinned in apology. "Well, have you ever thought of what you'll do once this is all over?"

Sasuke and Sakura seemed to be mulling the question over, faces blank and in thought, respectively. Sakura answered first.

"Once this is all over…" she said softly. Naruto knew her pause meant if I live, but he didn't dare think anything into that. "I'll request some time off and go back to my town. Maybe buy a house and go to college." She smiled at Naruto serenely. "I'd like to be a nurse."

Naruto hummed. "College, huh. I dunno, I think I'll drop out and work, move somewhere by the beach, and become a surf bum."

Sakura laughed. "A surfer? Why?"

He shrugged and lead them into an inter-corridor. "Why the hell not? It's time I did what I wanted, instead of what others want for me." Actually, he didn't know a surfboard from any other flotation device, but it didn't matter. What did was the freedom to choose.

His companions were silent. He let it sink in for another minute.

"So? What about you, prick?" Naruto asked with a grin.

Sasuke was silent for a long moment, and didn't rise to the bait. "Afterwards…" he said so softly they barely heard him. "Afterwards… I don't know."

And Naruto was sad again all of a sudden, weighed by the lost quality of Sasuke's voice. He always got the impression that Konoha was Sasuke's life, for whatever reason, and never bothered to see beyond it. Hate. Sasuke always seemed to be thrumming with hate, and Naruto knew it wasn't all borne because of himself. It stemmed from somewhere else, and Naruto hated the mindless fury that occasionally overtook him - he couldn't imagine living it and breathing it everyday.

But Sasuke did.

Naruto kept his gaze blank. Personally, he hated pity. He wouldn't wish a look of empty sympathy on his worst enemy, and refused to do so to Sasuke. Because Sasuke was staring at him, through him, brows furrowed in thought. What was he thinking? They had stopped at some point, forming a triangle of silence.

Whatever had happened to Sasuke haunted him. Naruto could understand, and knew not everyone coped the same way. They were alike, he thought. Maybe this was why he always found himself wondering about the boy? Misery loved company, yet Naruto had been alone so long – and again, what about Sasuke? And… wait. Why the hell did he even care?

Sakura smiled again, but Naruto couldn't read it. She turned and resumed walking. Sasuke blinked and started after her.

Naruto stood alone, watching them as they walked away. After a moment, he followed.

"Cell Seven to M05," A voice slid through the cafeteria, jarring Naruto. His companions didn't seem bothered, and Naruto was sheepish that he hadn't thought of an intercom system. It had never been used before. "Cell Seven to M05." The voice repeated, and there was a static shuffle as the announcement finished.

"Ah. Shall we?" Sakura asked pleasantly, crumpling up the plastic wrap from a muffin. Naruto gulped the rest of his pop while Sasuke stood up. They all made their way to the trash bins, Naruto fishing out his bag of chips from his pocket and throwing it in. They left, walking in a silent line.

Naruto was nervous. What did they want? There was no way for them to relay any information to the whole of cell seven without addressing the issue of the exam first. Would they tell his cell everything? Had he passed? He needed to, or else he'd be at zero again. His worry must have shown because Sasuke snorted and jostled him brutally with his shoulder, causing Naruto to drop his nerves and scowl at him instead.

M05 wasn't far from the cafeteria, and within minutes they were inside. It was a typical meeting room – only lacking the cool wheely chairs. There was a long table set parallel to the wall at the far end of the room, and behind it sat Tsunade, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Iruka, and Kurenai. Apart from Shikamaru – who looked half asleep – and Kakashi, – who probably was sleeping, with that one eye closed – all their faces were tragically blank.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura filtered to stand in a line in front of them. Naruto felt like he was lining up for the firing squad. Well, I probably am, he thought with a grimace. Iruka shot him a reassuring smile, but Naruto knew it did not promise anything. Finally Tsunade cleared her throat and untangled her fingers from underneath her chin, sitting up in the centre of them all. Her gaze never left Naruto's once their eyes had met. He swallowed, and she spoke.

"Naruto Uzumaki of Cell Seven, specialities undefined."

Naruto's heart danced against his ribs. He was focused on nothing else but the sounds from Tsunade's lips.

"Welcome to Konoha."

And there it was. He let his tension slip slightly, a droopy grin settling on his face. Sakura smiled demurely at him, nudging his arm with her own in a motion of congratulation. Sasuke let out a quiet snort and shifted slightly, hands on his hips, looking at anyone but Naruto.

He refused to let Sasuke's ignoring get to him as he beamed at Iruka. He could put a name on his emotions, and didn't try to. His heart felt lighter though. He should be pumping his fist with victory, but he was drugged with whatever was flowing through him.

Tsunade cleared her throat, and everyone settled (except for Shikamaru, who looked quite settled enough, and Kakashi who finally opened his eye and smiled at Naruto before pulling out his book). Once attention was steadfast upon her, she began.

"This means Cell Seven is now a full three-man cell and is qualified to participate in A-class operations once more," Tsunade began, her gaze still severe. Naruto fidgeted. What was she getting at? A real mission, maybe? No more putting books away in the information centre? No more wiping down tables? Sweet!

"Cell Seven has been assigned as one of the two teams to begin inter-mountain recon. You will be briefed and prepared tomorrow. Report as usual." Then she nodded to Sasuke and Sakura. "You are both dismissed. Naruto, stay behind, please."

They both shot him questioning looks, and though Naruto had a suspicion he knew the reason, he wasn't about to tell them. He just shrugged at Sasuke and grinned at Sakura before they silently left the room.

He faced the rest of them alone. All eyes were on him.

"Naruto," Tsunade began. "We have not released the details of your exam to anyone outside of us five. However, there are details only you can provide, that it is necessary we know to take future precautions."

Naruto looked at Kurenai and Shikamaru. Both were watching him intently in their own way. He took a breath, rocking slightly back and forth.

"Well, whaddaya wanna know?" His hands were splayed against his back casually.

Kurenai fixed him with a piercing stare, all sympathy of earlier gone. "What was the attack you used, Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged uncomfortably. "I honestly don't know. I just – did it. It wasn't like I was forced to, or like I even thought about it."

She frowned. "You called it something strange… wind shuriken, I think...?"

"Rasengan? Yeah. I dunno. Again, I just… said it."

Tsunade looked at Kakashi sharply, who was watching Naruto with attention. Naruto shifted uneasily under their gaze. Combined with everyone else's, he felt like he was in creep central.

"So what else do you need, huh?" He asked a little too loudly.

Iruka frowned at the childishness and Naruto stuck his tongue out at him, which didn't help. Shikamaru yawned.

Kakashi leaned forward slightly. "Have you ever heard of that attack anywhere else before?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nah."

He leaned back again. "Hm."

"What?" Naruto eyed them all sternly. "The whole thing sucked, so why are we only focusing on that?"

Kurenai glared at him and turned to Iruka. "Doesn't this kid have any manners? Or respect?"

"It's an endearing trait of his to be as crude as possible." Kakashi chuckled and Iruka sighed sadly.

"Hey!" Naruto pouted. What was going on here? Making this arguably the crappiest day of his life, then mocking him for it! And Iruka, letting them! Traitor! Bastards!

"Oh," he remembered suddenly. "How'd Shikamaru know what was going on anyway? Was he in my head too?" He frowned, genuinely uncomfortable.

"No," Kurenai said strictly. "I was just telling him what was going on as it happened. He was needed to assist because of his ability, shadow binding. We had to keep you still during the illusions so that you didn't thrash around and become even more of a pain."

Oh, so she wanted to be a bitch too? Naruto stuck his tongue out at her as well. But seriously now, did everyone here have some secret power or what?

Kakashi gave a giggle, and it was so creepy it reminded Naruto of another thing. "Oi! Where's the creepy pervert?"

"I take it you mean Jiraiya, brat." Tsunade smirked.

Naruto flapped a hand. "Yeah, whatshisface." Iruka and Kurenai scowled, but Kakashi looked amused as always and Shikamaru never cared.

"He's doing actual work at the moment, though he'll have to be informed of these proceedings." Tsunade rolled her eyes.

Naruto scratched his head. "Oh. So what's the mission gonna be like? I thought we weren't ready yet."

Iruka again scowled at him. "We don't sit around all day Naruto. At every possible opportunity we are making progress, and we happened to have finished locating every entrance to Olympus. It's time to begin. You'll be filled in on the details tomorrow."

Naruto frowned in thought. True, he saw so little of what was going on in Konoha that he'd just assumed most everything was static. How naïve of him. Well, at least he was going to join in the action now.

"Is there anything else you need?" Tsunade asked him evenly.

He thought of any questions that remained unanswered, but shrugged.

"Then you are dismissed," Tsunade said. Naruto mock saluted and turned to leave, letting a smile grace his face as he pulled the door open. One chapter of his life was over, and the next was about to begin. He could feel it.

"Naruto," Tsunade called right before he slid out.

He turned his head to look back.

"Congratulations," she said with a smile. Naruto beamed and the door clicked shut behind him.

Good or bad, something was coming.

To Be Continued


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Operational Terrain Levels Level Description: I. The bottoms of valleys and main lines of communications. II. The ridges, slopes, and passes that overlook valleys. III. The dominant terrain of the summit region."
> 
> Warnings: violence, light gore, Lee. The usual.

The very next morning had Naruto bouncing with anticipation, and morning training had not released all his pent–up energy. He was wrapped in it, even bouncing off the balls of his feet, to the point where Sakura actually tried to stab him with her fork (to which Sasuke had looked relieved). They got through breakfast without too many further mishaps and as they traveled to T07 Naruto mourned the moment when Sakura had started becoming violent with him.

Kakashi, Tsunade, as well as another cell waited for them within. Naruto started when he saw who they were.

"TenTen! …And Lee. ..But TenTen!" He shouted joyfully, waving his arm in huge circles.

"That's completely unnecessary, idiot," Sasuke snapped and pushed Naruto's arm out of his face. Naruto stuck his tongue out dramatically and bounced over to his weapons teacher.

"I didn't know you were in action!" Naruto grinned at her. She rolled her eyes.

"Of course I am. I'm the best sharp-shooter in this place, they can't get rid of me."

Sasuke and Sakura came to stand beside him, and that's when Naruto noticed Kakashi and Tsunade were talking to another man whom he didn't know, but kind of recognized… "Oh god," Naruto breathed. "Is that Lee's father?"

Indeed, the man standing beyond wore a horribly familiar jumpsuit under orange arm and leg warmers, as well as a matching green flak vest. His hair made Naruto think of that pottery class he had dropped out of in high school.

Thankfully Lee hadn't heard him. Sakura sighed. "No, they just happen to be a little too much alike. You know Lee, right, so imagine him older and ten times worse. That's Gai."

Naruto's face paled a little. Lee chose that moment to notice him, and he stopped arguing or whatever he was doing with that other guy over there and came to speak to Naruto. Naruto braced himself mentally as Lee approached and shook his arm enthusiastically, with the size of his grin almost rivaling that of his eyebrows.

"Naruto! Fantastic! With you joining us on this JOURNEY of DURESSE, this TRIAL of LOVE, this ESCAPADE of BRILLIANCE, we can stun the world with our VIGOR and YOUTH! Beauty can never fail! Victory signs, everyone!" And he did this weird sort of pose were Naruto could swear he saw light flashing off his teeth.

Naruto looked around with wide eyes to notice everyone was discreetly shuffling away, leaving him to be the sole victim of Enthusiasm Personified. "Hey!" he cried indignantly, and somehow that stole Lee's attention and planted it on Sakura. Lee ran to her side and grabbed her hands, starting to spout some butchered Shakespeare. Aha, the girl has yet another suitor, Naruto laughed to himself. Sakura shot Sasuke desperate glances and Naruto many promises of pain, but both studiously ignored them.

He finally took notice of the last person in the room that he did not know, who just happened to be staring holes into him. Naruto stared back defiantly, not about to lose a competition, no matter how freaky the guy's eyes were. The other boy was taller than him, and would almost be feminine with his long hair – if it weren't for the firmness of his jaw and those piercing eyes. The irises and pupil were such a pale grey they almost blended into the whites of his eyes. They left Naruto feeling slightly like he was being looked through, not at. Inspected, almost.

Naruto frowned and was thankful when the other guy's eyes left him to land on the opening door. Naruto turned as well, seeing Gaara walking through. Gaara looked as murderous and angry as usual, and spared no one a greeting. He stood off to one side of the door, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

Finally the leaders came to a conclusion and ended their chat. Tsunade stood between the other two, staring with authority at her selected soldiers. They all gathered in line before her, save for Gaara who did not move. Tsunade stood tall before them all, inspecting them one by one. Naruto grinned and crossed his arms when her gaze led to him. Eventually she addressed them.

"Cell Seven, Cell Gai, Gaara. You will be the first to begin inter-mountain investigations. This is new territory and risks may run high. Despite the dangerous nature of this mission, may I remind you this is not an excuse to hunt down Akatsuki." She gave Sasuke a grim look, and Sasuke himself titled his head back to stare at her with slight defiance. She ignored it.

"Your objective is to locate a path through the labyrinth to the actual Akatsuki headquarters so that offensive operations may proceed. You have a time limit of two hours, and must not engage in combat if possible. Eliminate any unavoidable threats silently and quickly – I'm sure there's no need to remind you that stealth is absolutely necessary. Gaara is to remain with Cell Gai, and cells will enter through separate 'gates' – the entrances. You will remain in contact with Support at all times, as well as with each other. You will mark your path with signalers, of course. No further action is to be taken other than simply locating the true entrance of Olympus."

Naruto's eye twitched and he immediately raised a hand. Tsunade frowned, but nodded at him.

"Uh, not that I don't want to go, but is it really wise to stick Gaara and I in Olympus? I mean, last I checked, it kinda wanted us dead." He said with a raised eyebrow.

Kakashi's mask pulled a little, so he must be grinning or smirking. Tsunade sighed. "…Yes. That is where the experimental part of this mission applies. Since this is uncharted territory we do not know the effect of both Carriers within Olympus. We have tested Gaara's presence, and received no indication that his presence was known to Akatsuki or Olympus. Now we must experiment with both of you at the same time, so that we may plan the final assault. We have no doubt that you will return unharmed, however. The cells have been chosen for effectiveness and capability, so I am not afraid for the risks you may face. They are necessary." She paused. "Provided, of course, that no one royally fucks up."

The last words were spoken with so many underlying threats that Naruto blinked and almost shuffled away. Everyone else seemed used to it.

"Well," Kakashi said cheerfully. "Any other questions?"

Naruto's face scrunched up. "What are signalers?"

Strangely enough, it was Sasuke that answered. He shoved his hands in his pockets and explained sternly. "Nearly invisible chips that emit radio waves. They're weak to begin with, not to mention with the overall effect of Olympus, so you can only pick them up with special high-sensitivity receivers when close by. This alerts only those that are properly equipped that they are on the right path."

"Ah," Naruto nodded. "Beats rope and bread crumbs, I guess."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Lee chuckled good-naturedly. The Lee-Look-Alike teacher gave him a thumbs-up for absolutely no reason.

"Are we clear?" Tsunade asked them seriously.

Everyone nodded in unison.

"Then move out."

They cleared the room silently, leaders in front, intent and ready.

An hour later found them dressed according to mission requirements and heading out to the garage, loading one cell per SUV. They climbed in quietly, the doors slamming shut behind them and the engine starting immediately. The steel-enforced doors rolled open smoothly to reveal the usual white carnage outside, and the military over-snow vehicles steadily trickled out in a line. Cell Seven was in the second SUV, trailing behind the TOW-equipped vehicle in the lead. Cell Gai was two cars back, another defensive armed vehicle between them and Seven. The ride was admittedly smoother with someone else clearing the path for them, but the storm outside still worsened considerably by the minute. There was no sound save the rumbling of the engine, the shrieking wind outside, and the breathing of his companions.

Naruto shifted awkwardly in his gear and addressed Kakashi. "You know, K-man, I thought I was going to be able to get along with the storm soon." The question behind the question was, of course, can I drive?

Sasuke moved a little beside him, and Naruto leaned over to catch Kakashi's expression from the driver's seat. He looked really serious.

"Well," Kakashi eventually answered. "Looks like it hasn't yet."

Uh-huh. "Has it gotten better for Gaara?"

Kakashi checked the radar device and squinted through the windshield at the white vehicle before them. "Yes. Olympus did not reject him either. That's why we believe it alright to send you two into Olympus."

"Still, it's a little weird to be heading out this early. I thought we were going to research debilitating fumes and stuff first." Naruto scowled. "Unless those bastards have forgotten about me!"

Sakura elbowed him viciously. "No, I'm sure they haven't, and it's not our place to question orders. I'm sure Shizune will get in touch with you soon, so quiet down."

Kakashi gave a muffled – well, even more muffled than usual – chuckle. "It's true using debilitating gases or tranquilizers would have been more beneficial, but that research doubtlessly takes time, and we don't know much of the terrain of the labyrinth yet anyway – so gases may already be out of the question. It's smarter to start with recon and be able to plan the assault while waiting for the product of experimentations."

Naruto sighed and leaned his cheek against the biting cold of the window. He was almost getting used to being bloody freezing all the time. Still… they were hyped about shoving Carriers into Olympus to test its sensitivity, but the storm hadn't even adjusted to Naruto yet. That wasn't too wise. I'm sure they have their reasons, Naruto thought darkly. But why wasn't it calming down? He frowned. He carried Nine, and Gaara carried One. According to the numbers, was it possible that Nine was more powerful than One, and so the storm reacted as such?

He remembered how Gaara always practically owned him during specialized forces training. …Yeah, okay, maybe not. Bah. What did he know of this demon stuff anyway?

Naruto looked out to the window and watched the heavy flakes batter the enforced glass. He gave a sigh and instead checked his pack to ward off the sense that something was going to go wrong.

Standard mission dress included tough but flexible Teflon garb, goatskin gloves, and snowshoes. Their packs included pressure heat packets and various other gear that Naruto had been briefed on previously. The entire cell's faces were obscured with padded hoods and thick scarves, as well as specialized goggles Naruto would have liked to own for Halloween. Each of them carried Glocks as defensive measures, but their primary weapons were AK-47s with silencers – weapon selections effective inside the mountain differed from those outside in the storm. They carried the AKs on their laps solemnly, the silencers already secured on. The TOW missiles and Javelins were only equipped to the Support entourage – the extra SUVS that would wait for them at the gates – to fight off any approaching Guards. The thought of letting one of those missiles loose inside the mountain made Naruto wince.

They all carried daggers as well, which had greatly amused Naruto until he saw Sasuke equip a freaking sword to his back. Honest, a real Japanese katana. He'd pouted as Sakura informed him that, no, he couldn't have one. He hadn't trained for it, and could barely manage deep-snow movement as it was. Sasuke had just smirked.

Naruto felt stiff with all the belts and holsters strapped on him, but he could still move. It was strange to think he had a dagger strapped to his thigh and ammunition on his belt, so he just focused on securing the items of his pack and peeling back the fingers of his gloves to check his AK again. He had to forcibly stop himself from humming "You're In The Army Now". To think that he was finally going to do what he'd been brought here for… it was weird. It boggled his mind. And yeah, it wasn't a shoot-out he was heading to, but the thought of ice walls and the shrieking of the storm outside was enough to fill him with apprehension.

He wasn't about to back out, though. No way. He was in this until the end, until he caught one of those Akatsuki bastards and shook the truth out of them. If that required he sneak around a maze dressed like an Eskimo playing Airsoft, so be it. He gave a small grin at the thought of an armed Inuit in pink parkas, and Sasuke, who sat before him, raised an eyebrow. Naruto shrugged and grinned again, lifting the AK delicately. Whatever Sasuke got out of that didn't interest him much, because he rolled his eyes and went back to inspecting the blankness outside.

Naruto could tell they were finally approaching the mountain because they were no longer traveling straight ahead. After a minute the vehicle before them swerved slightly and came to a stop on their left. Kakashi followed suit and the Hummer came to a complete stop, crunching uneasily within the piles of snow. The third SUV pulled up to their right and stopped as well. Cell Gai was next, followed shortly by the last vehicle of the convoy.

Everyone grabbed their packs and waited for last minute briefing.

Kakashi killed the engine and accepted the pack Sakura handed him. He fitted his equipment and secured the attached contents like the rest of his cell.

"Alright," he said. "We stay together, stay silent, and kill efficiently. Ah, but you don't need to be reminded - you are professionals, hmm?" He said with a grin that couldn't be seen through the protective covering over his nose and mouth. They all knew it was there, though. His hair and most of his face, as well as everyone else's, was hidden underneath the massive hood so it was only his one twinkling eye that alerted them. He fixed on the fingered gloves, pulled down the goggles, and clapped his hands together. "Go!"

The moment the doors opened, it was like a barrage of empty sound against his ears. His hot breath rebounded back to him and moistened his cheeks from underneath his scarf, while slivers of snow beat on the small exposed patches of skin. They spilled from the SUV, landing easily within the sea of snow. They regrouped in front, losing no time in tromping over to the last manageable edge of the mountain. For the first time Naruto got a good look at it – and it nearly overwhelmed his mind.

Olympus was massive, stretching into every visible direction. Mocking and threatening as it loomed over them like a white giant, one single peak disappearing into the unfathomable sky. Smaller peaks scattered as far as he could see around it accented and reached up to it, their snowy crevices overflowing and clearly unapproachable. A halo of flickering white surrounded it. Naruto gulped.

But what really shook him was the sensation of being pulled. Something at the back of his mind hissed and writhed in agony, resisting the practically magnetic pull. But the endless snowstorm battered against him, pushing him toward the mountain, toward -

Naruto's eyes widened and he waded awkwardly through the snow to catch up to the group again, noting Sasuke looking back at him. He couldn't discern anyone's expression with their masks and hoods. As he caught up and tramped on steadily beside Sasuke, he looked back at the escalating grey figures in the distance. Cell Gai was making its way toward the next entrance, or 'gate'. Two out of the reported one hundred and twelve. Support was already what seemed like a long ways away, hidden from sight by the white veil.

They approached the rocky mounting slopes – terrain level two - within ten minutes, though it felt much longer due to maneuvering the treacherous ice and false "safe" paths. Naruto came this close to gashing his arm open on some sharp rock formation hidden by the snow, but Sasuke grabbed his other arm at the last second and roughly pulled him up. His shaken thanks were lost in the shrieking gale. Silently, Cell Seven continued to gradually ascend, nearing the gate step by arduous step.

The cold had managed to seep into his fingers to the point where he had trouble moving them, but Naruto dared not complain. He trekked on upwards, following in the path that only Kakashi knew. Finally, they found it. They were close enough that Naruto could actually see the small gaping opening, hidden from view by the flurries of snow and gaping boulders around it. It was about a meter tall and wide, but he had no time to admire for they immediately entered in the same strategic single file – Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto, then Sasuke. When it was Naruto's turn to stoop inside he distinctly felt the whistling silence abruptly lessening, and the battering chill decreased slightly as well. It was hard to see much, but he could tell it was some sort of tunnel, mostly flooded with snow, though the rock base still bit at his elbows. He shuffled along, mostly crawling in on elbows and knees, keeping his gun cradled close. As they proceeded further the snow gradually lessened and the tunnel enlarged, until it finally came to an end.

Once Sakura was through Naruto straightened with a barely-stiffled groan, rubbing his elbow while pushing his AK into his chest. Then he looked at his surroundings.

Deformed semi-reflections glanced back at him, chipped and dull in the walls of ice. Despite their presence, everything was deathly still. The tunnel spat them out in the middle of a "hall" of the ice maze, spreading out to either side of them like frosted wings and twisting to disappear into the dark. The tunnel entrance wasn't even hidden, instead laying ominously in plain sight from the maze. Light was scarce but strangely present, dimly reflecting a pale blue against their forms. The ceiling was grey, very low and rocky, combining stalactites with stalagmites to form natural, yet ethereal, walls. They seemed to have been smoothed over, though, and at parts one could discern marks of claws or other tell-tale scratches. Though few of the walls were actually shiny to the point of being reflective, the effect was still awe-inspiring.

"Whoa," Naruto whispered. The words seemed to exist only for a few seconds in the air before the icy stillness captured them. Nothing echoed, nothing dripped, nothing gave away the existence of anything. His own presence seemed much too loud in comparison. It was very offsetting. The whole maze seemed like a sleeping giant to his conscious.

Sasuke had come to stand fully beside him, so Kakashi nodded at them and they gathered around. Kakashi pushed his goggles up, and everyone else did the same.

"Well," he said softly. "Right or left?"

Sakura turned to look down both directions, though neither gave away something that the other did not. She shrugged.

"If only compasses weren't useless here, we'd have a good starting point –"

"Right," Sasuke said.

Sakura and Naruto blinked at him, until they realized he was talking about the direction. Already he was setting off, silently wiping off his AK as he did so. Kakashi did his closed-eye grin thing and set off as well, not minding the change in formation. Sakura sighed minutely and padded softly after them. Naruto, of course, followed.

Their snowshoes did not make too much noise against the gritty ice floor, but enough to make Naruto uncomfortable with every step. At times like these, he understood the importance of silence. So it was pretty startling – and frustrating - when a small static garble sounded from Kakashi: "This is Cell Gai. Cell Seven, respond."

Their leader calmly opened a pocket and detached the high-sensitivity radio, pushing away his scarf and holding the radio up to his mouth. Cell Seven formed a protective triangle around him, listening for absolutely anything.

"Cell Seven, in. All clear."

The reply came back still rather garbled, but understandable. "Cell Gai all clear. Next communication in five."

Kakashi didn't respond, only released the radio and pushed it back into his pocket. They all stood motionless for a few moments, waiting to see if the noises had alerted anything of their presence. When Kakashi deemed it clear, they proceeded another meter until he pulled out a small – nearly invisible – chip from a small case. Naruto couldn't really see it. Pulling back the fingers of his gloves Kakashi carefully slid the chip inside a crack within the wall, and continued on.

They walked a little further until they reached the path's change in direction, which revealed a separation into two smaller branches.

"Right," Sakura said, and Kakashi dug a chip into the right wall where the distinction between the right and left paths was clear, so there was no confusion. They walked in. A little later the radio static sounded again, and both cells expressed no trouble. Again, they continued. At times Kakashi would quietly announce the time left – "one hour thirty minutes," he said solemnly - though they could all check for themselves on their own equipment. Naruto distantly realized, between wondering if his toes had thawed yet, that this was the most serious he had even seen his mentor.

Silently they weaved their way through the seemingly endless labyrinth, inspecting their surroundings. Naruto had no words to describe how strange it felt, to infiltrate a maze of ice within a mountain. A feeling of wrongness lingered. Nothing disturbed them, and they padded down chosen paths, leaving behind their invisible trail. But they found nothing, only more endless decisions of right, left, or forward. Naruto started wondering if they'd even find anything before time was up. Part of him despised that boredom, but another feared the alternative – there was the menacing chill in the air that ate sound and yet spoke of something dark ahead.

But maybe that was just in his head. Naruto shivered, clenched his fists, and marched on beside Sasuke.

He also wondered where Cell Gai was, if they'd found anything yet, if by chance they were only one sheet of ice apart, and could not even tell. That would be amusing. He pictured Lee, TenTen, Gai, and Creepy Eye Dude marching in the opposite direction beyond the wall.

Speaking of which, there was the radio static again. Kakashi picked up the radio nonchalantly. Before he could casually dismiss the contact, a hurried voice broke through with startling speed.

"Guard approaching, battle imminent. Advise continuing with caution." And contact died.

Sakura frowned and shared a dark look with Naruto. They all gripped their weapons and checked the safeties, walking a little slower than before. Carefully, Kakashi slipped another chip in the wall again, smoothing the rugged gap over with his fingers.

Something rumbled.

It was slight, a mere vibration beneath his soles, but he knew everyone else had felt it too because they all immediately stopped. Kakashi looked back at Sakura and Naruto while Sasuke peered at the path ahead of them. It led straight forward, and there was nothing behind them.

Weirdly enough, Naruto's heart wasn't freaking out. His breathing was even, his head was clear, even if something injected the thought it's starting in his mind. He locked gazes with Kakashi and saw him nod, so they continued even more carefully than before. Naruto mentally went over every weapons lesson he'd ever had, every emphasis on the importance of regular breathing and open eyes. He checked the equipment. One hour. One hour left to get into and out of whatever was waiting for them.

He should be nervous, but he felt rather alright.

It moved beneath his feet again. It was larger this time, dramatically so, almost making Naruto lose his balance. He threw his arm out to keep himself steady, the other gripping the heavy AK religiously. He could now tell it came from deeper within the passage because of the accompanying noise, growing steadily closer.

"Ready your arms," Kakashi issued the command clearly, his hand hesitating over the radio's pocket. The noise grew. He decided against it and lifted the AK-47, cradling it against his shoulder. "Wait for my orders."

The vibrations were constant now, coming from the passage directly ahead of them. Every pair of eyes was trained on the fading darkness beyond, waiting for what would emerge. They formed a rough trapezoid, Kakashi and Sasuke in front with Sakura and Naruto in between them in the back, weapons ready. The shaking and the noise grew. Closer, closer…

It burst from the darkness like a shot, galloping toward them at full speed.

"Aim to kill! Fire!" Kakashi shouted, already firing.

Naruto was leveling the AK and releasing a round of bullets on semi-auto before he could even clearly make out what type of creature the Guard was. It was advancing on them with startling speed, propelling itself with two massive forearms. As the bullets struck around the head and joints, it gave a roar that shook the entire maze with a pass of its head and continued to charge. It did not halt even as all four soldiers fired at it with fatal accuracy. It was coming too close. Naruto breathed, aimed, and landed a string of shots directly in its eyes. One of them exploded in a shower of liquid, but otherwise did not halt the beast. More blood flowed in stream behind it as it was almost upon them.

"Out of the way!" Kakashi cried, and as he shouted it he rolled to the side, slamming into the wall right as the creature blew past him. Sasuke did the same, reaching back and drawing the katana with fluid speed – but it wasn't enough -

It was on them. Naruto distantly heard Sakura roll out of the way as he himself dropped the AK and reached for the dagger, because he just knew.

As it happened the Guard barely slowed, only doing so to catch Naruto with its jaws as he tried to dodge the creature. Something ruptured in his brain, his left arm was snagged back, and suddenly the world was blurring by. Unlike his last real encounter, Naruto had no leverage to rip himself free, and was able only to dimly process the situation as he was dragged further away from his cell, his arm tightly clamped in the thing's jaws. The creature again picked up its pace.

"NARUTO!" He heard someone shout, but already it was far away. He heard the sounds of shots firing and dull thuds as they buried themselves in the Guard's flesh, but he was too busy fighting the air crushing against him, curling his legs into himself, and trying to stab the creature's face as he was dragged to pay attention. Fire blazed down his arm, red life pouring out and dripping in patches on the ground that blurred underneath him, and Naruto bucked and writhed, doing as much damage as he could to the creature that would not let him go. His feeble strikes, though sometimes connecting, did not faze the creature. It ran with him in tow, blazing through the labyrinth.

No one distinct thought occurred in his head. Now he was only surviving. His thighs and ass were catching on to sharp protrusions in the ground when they weren't being horribly chaffed by the friction, though his pack was thankfully protecting his back. The feel of hot animalistic pants between fangs burying themselves into his arm, and the sound of rumbling feet and air whizzing by was all he knew of the world. And still he was dragged further along, the sound of his pursuing comrades long gone.

"Son of a…" Naruto gasped because it was the first thing he could think of to say, and lifted his arm again to try to stab the creature's remaining eye. He aimed carefully, clasping the dagger painfully tight, ready to plunge it in. To prevent his escape the creature suddenly bucked its head and sent him flying, releasing his arm at the last second to have him crash into the wall. Naruto's back connected first, his head smacking against the ice walls right after. He tumbled to the ground, mute with pain, landing on his mess of an arm.

He gasped with breath he didn't have, numbly dropping the dagger and grabbing his arm, curling in on his side. He was choking on pain. Through a world of red and screaming anguish he saw the Guard approach him – still hadn't slowed down, had turned back? What was going on – it was lifting it's head –

Something massive struck Naruto dead between the eyes, and that was all.

Dimly, he came to. His injuries roared back to life the next second, and immediately Naruto was biting into the hard ground, – why was it so cold? – almost ripping his teeth out to keep from screaming. Everything else, his own body, was out of his control.

His arm was all he could focus on, all he knew. Why did it hurt? He wouldn't mind dying if it meant the pain would stop. It hadn't hurt like this before – before – what?

"Nine," A voice said.

For some reason Naruto's eyes flew open and he gazed at the owner of the voice. Sasuke's dark eyes stared back at him.

To Be Continued


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: violence, lots of gore, etc, etc. (Should I increase the rating?)  
> Chapter Soundtrack: Du Hast – Rammstein, My Violent Heart – Nine Inch Nails, Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums – A Perfect Circle

But it wasn't Sasuke.

Not-Sasuke approached him, and Naruto realized he was screaming. Sharp shrieks of pain poured from him, but it was out of his control, and Not-Sasuke was still coming closer and closer.

Then - a touch on his forehead, and the broken screams died.

Naruto lay, gasping, one hand grabbing his other mangled upper arm in a vice grip. Every limb and joint was tense, trembling, wondering where the pain went. The man – who is this, Sasuke? Why-? – still leaned over him, motionless, two fingers extended centimeters from his forehead.

"You must be quiet," said Not-Sasuke. "Trust me when I say you do not want attention at this moment."

Naruto heaved in more breaths, slowly accepting more from his wrecked senses. Something dug into his back, his clenched hand was frozen in place, he was sweating despite the - cold? No, he wasn't cold. He wasn't hot either. Actually, he couldn't feel any pain or heat at all. His deadened body still trembled, and cold puffs of air froze on his lips.

Say something, a voice in his head said irritably. You look like an idiot.

"Who – what –" His mouth formed the words oddly, making them sound garbled.

Not-Sasuke leaned back and straightened, still never wavering his intense gaze. Those eyes, they were even more piercing than anything he'd known before - they were cutting. He spoke. "I have blocked the nerve signals denoting pain. As for treatment, there is nothing I can do." His voice was low, smooth, and mostly monotone. Impersonal. Just one note away from Sasuke's.

Naruto managed to unlock his hand from his arm – thinking only of the way the skin there stuck to his hand and was pulled with it before snapping back, leaving his hand coated in black and red lumps. Think, imbecile, said that voice. Where are you, what happened? What's most important right now?

He swallowed with difficulty. "The Guard," Naruto said.

The man lifted his hand again to point at something behind him. Naruto turned his head and saw the corpse of the cat-like Guard. It lay on its side, limber grey-furred body now limp and disgusting in death. He thought it had died with its muzzle gaping wide, until he realized that the lower jaw was ripped off entirely and lay glistening in its own pool of blood not far away. It was still frightening, and Naruto couldn't help but be worried at its proximity – even if it was now nothing more than a nightmare wearing fur. Most strange of all was that there was no sign of a struggle anywhere on the passage or the man.

"Oh." he said. "Did you-?"

He cut himself off as he saw beyond the Guard, where two other figures lay. It was another Guard, limp and mangled beyond recognition, lying beside –

"Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed, jolting unsteadily to his knees. Blood surged from his arm, reminding him to slow down and be careful to keep it motionless. He slowly made his way over to the other soldier.

"His assailant was a lot more vicious," Not-Sasuke said. Naruto ignored him, speechless at the sight before him.

Gaara lay on his back, close to the wall, eyes clenched tightly shut unconsciously. Naruto immediately saw why. His right leg was twisted at the knee, completely snapped. Furthermore his tibia was protruding from the middle of the shin, and the grey bone looked odd among a sea of red and black, glistening muscles still attached to it. There was a trickle of blood from Gaara's forehead - the gash was shallow, thank god – and another from his nose. Gaara's breathing was coming in shallow, short bursts, but it was there. He was alive.

"We've got to help him!" Naruto said quickly. Oh god oh god, this was like the exam all over again. He turned back to look at his saviour. "How can I get him treatment? Can you-"

The man held a hand to silence him. "My name is Itachi. I cannot help the Carrier – the only ones who can are the Konoha soldiers. They are looking for you two as we speak."

Naruto bit his lip, looking back down at his comrade, afraid of messing with the gruesome leg injury. "Then I need to get to them. Were you the one to kill the Guards?"

Itachi nodded slowly, looking regal in his cloak of solid black lined in red and white fur. "I was lucky to intercept the Guards before they could bring you to our Leader. Thank your god that that was not the case."

…Our Leader… Naruto's eyes grew wide. "You're with Akatsuki." Instantly he shifted and reached for the dagger, realizing with dread that it was not there. He had dropped it when -

The man simply blinked at him somberly. "Yes and no. Time is running short, Nine. They must not know that I interfered. I would accompany you except my presence is required elsewhere, so it is up to you to bring yourself and One to safety. I believe Support should be near the gate Cell Seven entered."

His jaw dropped, warning signals going off in his head. Yes and no? What the hell? "How – how do you know all this?"

The man smiled then, and though it was small it was still shocking. He looked more like Sasuke now than ever, even with the long hair and severe gaze. He said, "Do not accept everything you are told as the truth, little one. Remember that the moment something is created, it begins to be destroyed."

There was a slight trembling in the floor below them, and looking about the small ice corridor they were in Naruto remembered the drastic situation. He looked at Itachi seriously, rummaging through his pack hurriedly as he did so. "Itachi, or whoever you are - thank you, I guess. I hope for your sake that you're not really one of those Akatsuki assholes, or else I'd have to kill you."

Itachi's smile had long disappeared but he dipped his head with an expression that might have been amusement. "I will remember this, little one. You must return to Konoha, and tell them this: it is soon."

"'It is soon'. Roger. Oh, real quickly, I'd like to know-"

"You must hurry."

"-Right." Naruto gripped his pistol and bent to tenderly gather Gaara in arms. Blood rained from his leg and Naruto's own arm, but Naruto hoped Gaara's demon would keep him from dying like Nine did for him. He raised an eyebrow at the man as he rose fully, grateful for the momentary lack of pain. "And my name's not Nine, or little one. It's Naruto."

Itachi's hand rose again to point down one end of the corridor. "I know. Now go, Naruto. Oh, and – say hello to my little brother for me."

Naruto nodded. Armed with a signal detector, a Glock, and an unresponsive Carrier in his arms, he gritted his teeth and set off without a backward glance, leaving his strange saviour behind.

He moved as fast as he could, what with a dead weight in his arms and a shaken body of his own. He continued down the twisting path until he came to a fork, where he managed to figure out how to work the receiver with one hand and a grimace. There was nothing. Figures, since no one had ever come this far. He'd have to wing it until he came across a chip, and continued along the maze. Naruto cradled Gaara more carefully – the other boy was still in pain, even in sleep – and was again thankful for his numb injuries. That made him realize that he should probably address Gaara's leg, his own insecurities be damned. Who knows if the demon within Gaara was capable of healing something so drastic on its own.

With his thought Naruto set him down, and got about the squeamish task of pushing the bone back in place. He was afraid of waking Gaara, and of anything that might be coming closer as he stood still, but it had to be done. The knee was a lost cause, so Naruto did his best to disinfect what he could. He applied pressure to the shin, gritting his teeth, and had to dig his fingers in the entrails of the leg to realign it as best he could. The bone was stiff and the texture was shocking, not to mention with the sinewy feel of tendons and muscle. The gush of blood was obscuring his work, but Naruto scooped it out or blotted it with his sleeve, forcing himself to think straight. He had to do this. Cursed with a demon or no, Gaara could still die. Carriers were superhuman, if they were human at all, but they weren't gods. Only fools chased immortality, and none possessed it.

With a grating of bone and a release of pressure – he was half afraid he would snap the bone yet again - he managed to loosely connect the fractured ends.

Gaara shifted.

Oh shit, Naruto thought. No. No, no, don't wake up… Gaara's eyelids flickered, his mouth working soundlessly. His snapped leg gave a spasm, and Gaara released a shriek of inexplicable pain.

It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but Naruto instantly pressed his less-bloodied hand against Gaara's mouth to stifle the deafening scream. Gaara's eyes flew open and immediately locked on his as he writhed on the ice floor.

"Ssssh," Naruto hissed, holding down the shaking limbs as best he could. "Hey, listen to me – listen! Calm down, I know it's a bitch, but listen. They're gone, but they got your leg pretty bad. I'm going to get us back, ok? You just need to be quiet, ok? Don't move!"

"Gggh," Gaara gurgled and grimaced, eyes narrowing and widening as he experienced his personal hell. It made Naruto feel like shit to be helpless before this kind of suffering. "Lea –leave! Don't – don't – I don't –"

"Shut up! I don't care what you say, I'm not letting you die here! Keep still, alright? Hey…"

Despite the restraints Gaara's body lifted off the floor as he experienced a great spasm of pain, until finally he slumped back, unconscious. It must have been intolerable.

Naruto closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Jesus.

At least he could return to his administrations. The sight of congealing and suddenly renewed blood made bile rise in Naruto's throat but he swallowed thickly and did his best to wrap the wound extremely tight, having nothing with which to make a solid tourniquet. He wasted no time cleaning the head wound since it was not fatal and there was more than likely more dangers about.

And he was shaking again. Naruto released a tremulous breath and picked everything up again, ignoring the blood freezing on his fingers and inside his nails - he'd lost his gloves eons ago. He continued within the maze, holding out the receiver and choosing any path at random when it did not pick up anything. He noticed that the ice in the paths he was leaving behind was a lot darker than the ice here – before it had been eerie dark, like it was coating something black within it. Now it was lightening gradually to the dim blue he recognized from earlier. Perhaps that meant he was on the right track.

Naruto emerged from another fork and held out the receiver again quickly, only this time a small beep came from the device. Naruto swore in excitement and hurried along that direction, finally on the right path - closer to safety. He could not tell the passing of time, instead measuring the spaces between paths in hurried, heavy footsteps. It couldn't have been more than an hour since he'd been attacked, since his blood had still been mostly fresh, and yet… yet it felt like eternities that he wandered through the frozen labyrinth, death possibly only steps behind. A patient and silent friend.

His steps were beginning to falter and slow – his mind was numb to pain and most outer stimuli, but it could not mask stress or fatigue. His arms had long ago locked into place, the fingers of his right hand clenched tightly against the rough texture of the pistol's grip. His knee gave out once, almost making Naruto fall flat on his face on top of his cargo, but he caught himself and continued.

Then there was another rumble. He could see the walls tremble slightly, and it was coming closer, but slowly. It originated from the path behind him, and it was more powerful than the ones he'd felt with Cell Seven. Gaara's outburst must not have helped, intentional or not.

God, not again. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. He was armed only with his desperation and his pistol, but these inter-mountain guards did not even react to fatal wounds. He could try his hand at his demon's power, but he'd been warned against using it within Olympus - not to mention he also had Gaara to look out for. Fuck.

Still Naruto pocketed the receiver, gently lowering Gaara to the ice floor and standing in front of him. He held the Glock-29 at the ready, steadying it in both hands, training his sight on the black void ahead of him. The great rumbling increased gradually.

Be calm. Think straight. That voice advised.

Jesus, voice, where'd you come from anyway, Naruto thought irratedly.

Shut up and kill them.

Naruto shivered, but he felt no cold. Seconds and eons ticked by. Something approached.

They burst from the darkness steadily, coming along at a casual pace. Two Guards headed straight for him. One was a horse – or something that looked like it. The mane was disgustingly long and crusted over yellow with filth, and white frost covered its beige coat. From what he could see its eyes were a strange crimson, and something was off about its front left leg. The other was a wolf, but grotesquely large, with long crisp fur and a drooling, gaping mouth that curled almost like a smirk. There was a faint click as it moved, coming from the razor sharpness of its claws – three in front, one in the back. Just like the Guard he'd first met. They ambled along slowly, growling low, sure of his inability to escape. The ease of these unnatural creatures was all the more unsettling.

Naruto's heart beat steadily, strangely calm like before. He had to make his shots count, disabling them before they got pissed and gutted him, preferably.

They were getting close, about six meters away. Now he saw what bothered him about the horse's leg – it was rotting. It was stitched together at the more advanced points of decomposition, but greenish flesh still grew around the stitches and all the way down to the hoof, which looked like it was barely holding to the flesh. The wolf, in sharp contrast, was almost neat looking. There wasn't any dirt anywhere on its white coat.

Fantastic - he was appraising animals now. Time to get these fuckers before they killed him. Naruto aimed the pistol, and shot directly into both their eyes in rapid fire.

That set them off, and Naruto would be in paw's reach within three seconds. As fast as he could manage Naruto shot at the vital spots, but they did not relent. The horse-like Guard reared onto it's hind hooves, front legs beating at the air, about to crush him. Naruto grabbed Gaara and ducked out the way, slipping through the two creatures as the horse Guard landed, making their surroundings shake. The other Guard had been circling to get behind him and snarled, leaping forward. Naruto again rolled out of the way, but he was drastically slowed by Gaara's dead weight. The sharp claws caught his right shin, but only grazed them as the horse Guard's stamping hoof got in the way.

They're slowing each other down, Naruto realized. One guard was lethal in tight quarters, but two large ones did nothing but get in each other's way. Still, he couldn't manage to kill them both at the same time. He was still ass-deep in alligators.

He got in two shots to the horse's knee joint before he had to fall flat on his ass to avoid its kick. As it was in motion the wolf was also swiping at where Naruto's face had been, intercepting the flying hoof. Enraged at another block, it snarled at the other. The horse thrashed its head and snorted, moving toward Naruto before he could completely crawl away. Naruto kept shooting it in the face, hoping to at least blind them. It was hard to keep steady aim when every second was an attempt on his life though, and he received a jarring kick to the side.

Naruto flew from the blow, landing sprawled further along the passage with spots dancing in his vision. He still couldn't feel any pain. It might kill him later, but for now his dead nerves were keeping him alive.

Another slice, catching him in the chest. His thick coat caught most of it, thankfully. Firing off more shots, Naruto knew his time was even more limited. At least he was leading them away from Gaara, but he couldn't keep this up. His ammo was running low, and he barely did any damage whatsoever. Bullets didn't seem to work, but they reacted to each other's blunt hits –

An idea struck him, and a gaping pair of jaws almost did the same. Oh no you don't, motherfucker, Naruto thought as he fought off the snapping fangs with the butt of his pistol. They were getting much too close, but only one of them could get him in reach at a time. Naruto dived beyond the wolf Guard to run directly at the horse, having only seconds before the wolf shredded his back. With a strange burst of speed and another eerily high leap, Naruto somehow managed to land flat on the horse's back, having to squeeze his arms and legs around the filthy beast to stop his momentum. The horse gave something like a shriek and tried to throw him off as the wolf circled around it, snarling.

Trying to keep his balance but aware of the growing danger, Naruto slowly raised himself, gripping the pistol tightly. The wolf Guard tried to bite at his leg, but the horse gave a snort and backed away, trying to protect itself. They were working against one another now. Perfect. But soon enough they'd smarten up and -

The horse whinnied and threw itself at the wall of the maze, nearly crushing Naruto's entire left side. He felt the uncomfortable squeeze but thankfully didn't know the sting of the blow, so he stayed on. The walls of the maze rattled, and a chunk of ice shattered from the ceiling.

The wolf snarled and kept circling and the horse prepared to crush him again, thrashing about to shake him loose. Naruto increased his grip and crept forward to its neck, still clenching the pistol tight, until he got a good shot of the top of the horse's skull. He needed to do it now, before the whole fucking place caved in or his bones snapped without his noticing. He fired directly through the matted hair at point blank range, shot after shot, until past the soaking blood and hair he could see bone.

As he fired the horse Guard gave another horrible shriek, definitely feeling the effects. He had no time to flip the safety, so Naruto only clenched the gun far from the trigger and started brutally bashing the butt of the pistol into the skull, over and over again.

But the bone was thick, and hair absorbed most of the impact. Naruto put more and more strength into his blows as the horse screamed and started thrashing around more than before, making it hard for Naruto to keep balance or his blows to connect. Still he kept crushing through bone, chips of it slicing his face. The horse was outright twisting its own body in pain. The wolf was growling continuously, waiting for an opening. Naruto pulled his energy into his arm, tensing his hold on the gun, and bashing it forward to finally crack through the horse's skull. Bits of grey and pink splattered on his face. Naruto had no time to be physically sick at the sight and the memories.

The horse's great neck dipped forward as it groaned in pain, thrashing less as it weakened, legs failing and its whole body tilting forward. At that very moment the wolf had lunged to attack Naruto while he was still on it's back, but the wolf's jaws ended up clamped around the horse's skull instead. Naruto rolled off quickly, landing with a winded huff on his pack. With a dying flail the horse kicked the wolf square in the neck, sending it flying.

One down. The horse Guard gave a massive twitch and lay still, but Naruto wasted no time. Immediately he was back on his feet, bloody pistol trained on the recovering wolf. It was advancing a lot slower, but it was certainly still in condition to kill him. Naruto used the last of his ammo to fire straight at its nearly-crushed neck, but still it advanced. The pistol gave a weak click as the chamber was finally empty.

He kept it in his hand to use as a blunt weapon, but that didn't help. Too fast to follow the wolf jumped and knocked him to the ground, fangs instantly buried in his hand. Naruto couldn't help it - he released the pistol, shaken from the harsh blow to the ground. Oh, these wounds were going to suck when he could feel them again.

It was pressing in on his lungs. He couldn't breathe. With supernatural strength he shoved the wolf off him, rolling mostly out of range – but his hand was still caught in the Guard's jaws. Something burned within his body. His power. It was thrumming inside him, waiting for the chance. The Guard raised a paw to swipe at him, but in his dazed state Naruto was not quick enough to dodge the blow. It caught him on the cheek, knocking Naruto's skull back against the floor. With the thought he had left he tried to twist free, ripping some flesh from his hands at the unyielding grip of the wolf's jaw. It snarled at him, tugging him closer, finally pining him to the floor. It was like the wolf was dragging it out, enjoying his pain…

It burning fiercer now, almost painful. Naruto couldn't think straight. Another swipe caught his other cheek, almost deep enough to embed the claws in his face. Naruto struggled weakly. His vision was dimming.

Now, said the voice.

The Guard reared its head, fangs bared, ready to end it.

Now!

And he let go. A moment before the Guard gouged out his neck, something brushed by Naruto and a cannon ball of energy shot from his stomach, incinerating the very air around it. The flare of power bombarded the Guard, who gave an animalistic scream as it was enveloped in surreal flames. It rolled off Naruto in pain, writhing and screaming, leaving smears of charred black along the already bloodied floor.

The ball of power seemed to be compressing, disappearing into the Guard. Finally it was completely out of sight. With a last wail, the Guard fell bonelessly to the ground and died, a smoking pathetic heap.

All was still.

Naruto lay gasping, weak and winded. He tried to get up, but he only raised his neck before letting it fall again. Just a moment. One more minute and he'd get up.

Useless, the voice snarled. Making me do the work for you.

That made Naruto's eyes fly open.

You, he thought with venom. I thought you were locked away.

Gyahaha! Kyubbi laughed. Here, all bets are off. Plus you don't have that stupid charm with you, so I can do as I please. You should be thanking me for taking care of your blood loss and saving your ass. Again.

Naruto grit his teeth and forced himself to rise. Oh, right, like you wouldn't have benefited from letting me live. Then what he'd said really hit home, and in a panic he felt around his neck. Tsunade's necklace. It was gone.

Fuck! Kyuubi gave another jeering laugh inside his head.

"I'll deal with you later," Naruto said out loud wearily, and the voice receded with a snort. The fight wasn't over yet. He gingerly made his way to Gaara, further back in the passage. He'd sustained no additional injuries, but the binding was now coated in blood. He was still breathing though, so his demon must be up to something. He picked him up carefully, pulling out the receiver with his mangled hand.

Excruciatingly slowly, Naruto continued to venture through the maze. If he'd been tired before, that was nothing. It was an effort to breathe, and he got the uncomfortable feeling that his injuries were going to come back to life with a vengeance soon. All over his body his wounds were starting to tingle. If he lost it now, there'd be no way he'd make it to the gate. The pain alone would kill him.

He needed to get to safety. Safety was the base, safety was anywhere out of this mountain, out of the eternal cold.

And so he walked, his steps instantly absorbed in the thin air. His mental faculty had dimmed to the point of being unaware of even carrying Gaara. All he knew was making sure to check for signalers, following the endless route. Had this been the path he'd taken? He couldn't remember. He could walk, though, so he did that. Time passed.

He turned along yet another passage according to the signalers, but something was off. The path was covered in glazed rubble as far as he could see. He stumbled along, avoiding the massive shards of ice that had fallen from the ceiling, some as tall as the ceiling itself. Looking up weakly he saw gaping mouths of black where the ice had been, but nothing beyond it. The maze had not been smooth by any means before, but now it was completely jagged and dangerous. Carefully he cleared the passage and continued until he came to a diversion, but the receiver did not pick up any chip embedded in either path.

Naruto frowned. Maybe whoever had been planting the chips missed a spot? Maybe he should keep going.

Idiot! Kyuubi's raging voice came back to life. You passed it!

But there's only one path back that way, Naruto thought dully.

The gate, pitiful fool. You passed the gate.

The gate. The exit. The way out of this hellhole. Oh, god, yes. Naruto regained some energy from the promise of escape, and made his way back to the hazardous passage. It was no wonder he'd missed the tunnel, with all these black shapes all over the place. But when he still couldn't see any low tunnel, Naruto realized it was blocked by one of the massive ice glaciers leaning against the sides.

Shit.

Which one? He asked mentally.

Wherever it feels the coldest around the boulder, imbecile, Kyuubi snapped.

If he had the thought to, Naruto would've rolled his eyes. I can't feel anything.

He could almost imagine Kyuubi's snarl, but there was silence for a moment. Kyuubi would want to get out of here just as much as he did. He could feel the mind of something else searching, but outside of himself. It was disturbing. Third one on the left. Like I said, useless. Why did those fools put me in something as pathetic as you?

He stopped. Um, what? Naruto thought.

I SAID, third one on the left. You are worthless –

Naruto grit his teeth. Don't play with me. After THAT!

There was an echo of sinister laughter. Hah, that's for you to find out from your precious Konoha, isn't it?

Naruto scowled, then gave up and made his way to the correct glacier. Kyuubi had dispersed from his thoughts again. Good. It wasn't like things were bad enough without having a chat with his demonic baggage.

Carefully he put Gaara down a little further, still dead to the world, still grimacing in pain. Naruto's arms were feeling the strain. He went back to the glacier and examined it. How to get it out of the way? Rolling wouldn't do – it had dug into the ground from the force of the fall, or its own weight. He could see a sliver of slightly brighter light from the side, and feel faint gusts sneaking through the tunnel.

All that stood between him and sweet sleep was a fucking hunk of ice.

Naruto grit his teeth and forced his limbs to forget their weariness. He advanced on the glacier and embraced it, digging in his feet and lifting.

Nothing.

Naruto caught his breath. He ignored the unpleasant twinges coming from his gaping arm, and tried again. This time he called on the last of the power residing within him, the same unreal strength that had saved his life. It poured from his stomach, slipping through his arms, tingling with power. All that he had, he poured into his desperation. Naruto dug his fingers in and pulled.

Craaaaack.

It came loose slowly, painfully, groaning as Naruto slowly lifted it higher. He took a shaky step back, and another. Stiffly he turned and dropped the massive weight, skirting out of its way. It fell with a heavy thud, barely chipping off shards of ice, making the whole passage reverberate.

The path was clear. Naruto almost smiled, but he was completely drained. He had to remind himself that it was a bad idea to just lay down and sleep here. Where was Support? Fuck. He was so close, he'd get out of here even if he'd have to drag himself and Gaara both, but damn he was so tired –

"Wha -NARUTO!"

The voice came from the shrieking path of the tunnel.

"Huh?" he said wearily. There was shuffling, crunching, like multiple people were crawling through. Naruto just blinked at the entrance. Finally a head emerged from the tunnel.

Itachi? Naruto thought dimly. Why was he all the way over here, and why was he tackling him? He almost fell over from the crushing hug.

"Fuck, Naruto!" Itachi breathed into his neck.

Then Naruto saw with clarity. It wasn't Itachi, it was Sasuke. Oh, god, Sasuke. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you right now," Naruto said sleepily as he was released.

And Sasuke actually laughed, but it was vexed and hysterical. "Oh no, I do." As he said this another head emerged from the gate. Pink. Sakura.

"Naruto!" She yelled, getting to her feet quickly and almost tackling him, until she actually got a look at him. "Holy shit! You- you're practically going to die! KAKASHI! I need another medic!"

"You wanna see death? Wait till you see Gaara," Naruto slurred. Though Naruto probably looked worse, with shredded clothes and blood everywhere. There was a lot more motion. Naruto swayed a bit on his feet, and for some reason his brain was telling him it was okay to shut down now. Sasuke was clenching onto his good arm.

There was more movement, but Naruto's eyes were closing. "No, no! Stay awake! Sasuke, keep him aware!" he heard Sakura order distantly. Something was touching him, tugging…

Sasuke gripped his arm to steady him. His voice filtered in to his muggy brain. "We thought you were dead," he heard him say. "Soon after you were taken the maze started caving in and we had to clear out until it passed. There's actually a rescue team inside looking for you, you know? Shit, Gaara too… what the hell happened, Naruto? Naruto? Hey! Stay awake until we get out, Sakura's fixing you up but you need lots of attention… what the hell happened to your face? Naruto, come on…"

"Just wanna sleep," he mumbled.

"He's in no condition to crawl back out," someone else said. It was a different voice. Naruto heard lots of movement around him, voices soft in the background. Something about Gaara. Something about being unprepared. Something about danger.

You got that right, he thought. "Can I sleep now?" Naruto asked, leaning against something. It patted him on the shoulder. Sasuke.

"Yeah, you can sleep," he heard Sasuke say. "Morons need their rest."

"Shuddup," Naruto whispered against Sasuke's shoulder. "You're an…."

He couldn't get past that, but distantly he thought it was nice to have Sasuke's voice be the last thing he heard before he conked out.  


  
To Be Continued


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Soundtrack: Mississippi – Paula Cole, Weak and Powerless – A Perfect Circle, Travel Hymn – Circa Survive

There is no why, or how, but Naruto dreams in music. Well, not all the time, obviously, but usually to fall asleep he has to sing something in his head, let a picture play out beneath his eyelids, and keep singing until suddenly it's morning. And when he dreams it's - well, not musical, exactly, but something like it. There's even beauty in the endless white on white that he despises now, because it lilts and lifts with the notes. He doesn't know how he knows this, any of this, but it is there in his head, just like the cold.

Walking in snow, knee-deep but still clinging to life. He thinks, I should be dead by now, and it's so cold maybe he does want to die. But his legs are on automatic and he keeps walking (stumbling, hiking) forward, into the blindingly dark white, and it's so cold he can feel it in every pore and hair of him.

But he keeps walking.

It's been forever, many eternities at least, that he's been walking. Left foot up, forward, down, repeat, right foot now. So long he feels every second like a century, so after a year he begins to realize he's dreaming. How else could he be going so long, so cold, but still alive? The icy gale slaps at him, pushing him back, making him shield his eyes. He can always feel the sting of winter on his lips, crusted with ice, and his fingers have been bordering on numb and frostbitten for eons now. Same state, same snowflakes slapping against every exposed part of him. But clothes, memories, words, those things don't matter now.

He's always so cold.

Warmth is what keeps him going, or at least keeps his legs going, because he's not in control of those anymore (was he ever?). He's just so, so tired, so cold, all the time. And yet - even in his worst whirling thoughts he can hear-see music, every painful flake like a symphony, every bitter gust of wind like a booming bass.

And finally, the song changes.

It was a song of pain and hope and pleasenopleaseyes, before. Now it's… sad, but open. Honest. There's more to it than he can interpret, in the vague musing of his mind that's still aware and maybe awake. The snow starts to ease, it might be a little easier to walk now. He can't tell, because the change is so gradual, happening over millions of years. But - finally he's no longer in the swirling blizzard but in simple snow, white as far as forever, stretching into the sky with the slightest change in hue as all to hint that he is not just wandering through a white canvas. There is definitely a horizon, though it never gets closer for all the ages he's walked toward it. He's just. Walking. No gusts against his cheeks, no dead chill in his arms. Just snow under his naked feet, white below him, a different white above him, and something -

There's something flickering in the dark-light, on and off, slowly trailing from there to here to there. Then it returns, slowly, a grand arc of lighter-white. Naruto never stops to admire or change his course, after all, he's been intent on that light all along, he realizes. Because he is alone in a world he doesn't bother thinking miracle? or oh please yes! because he just knows it was meant to be – but at last he is there, and the light is very very high up, but it is there and never moved and patiently waited for him for many many years. It is a lighthouse.

It is impossibly tall, and wide, and he is so small against its foundation, but that doesn't matter. What does is that it is blue black, but more colours ghost underneath it. And when Naruto marches right up to it, fingers ghosting breathlessly over the colour like glass, he breaks and presses his cheek against it, sighs and closes his eyes. He touches every part of himself that he can against this lighthouse, cold as it is, and hopes that when he dies, wakes up from this dream, he will know this lighthouse again, waiting for him and lighting his way.

But there was that fucking beeping again.

It was pretty faint but when you've got only the blood in your own ears to listen to, you tend to pick up other sounds. Like the rustling of the starched sheets. The occasional tick of the heart monitor. The near-inaudible gushing of the IV drip. Over, and over, and over again.

Naruto wanted to kill something.

He woke up about three days ago, but Sakura had threatened to have a chat with the cooks if he didn't stay in bed. Which had been the whole point of getting up – getting some ramen – so he didn't bother. Still. They could've thought the entertainment factor through a little more. At least in real hospitals there were televisions and magazines, here there was just… beeping. Naruto was starting to hate waking up in these crisp white rooms, and his muscles were constantly twitching from want to move.

Not that he didn't get visitors, oh, he did. He'd even made new friends! A shy girl with strange bangs and eyes reminiscent of Creepy Eye Dude came to stutter a hello, which Naruto thought was pretty pointless since her visit lasted all of three minutes and had included much forced conversation making and finger jabbing on Naruto's part. He'd never even seen her around base before, and he had a feeling she hadn't just walked in his room by accident. Creepy.

Gaara hadn't come to see him, which Naruto didn't know how to feel about. A little gratitude would've gone a long way, but he hadn't really expected it and he knew Gaara was as proud as Naruto himself. "Thanks for kicking ass while I was pretty much useless" didn't do much for the self-esteem. The next time they meet would be atrocious, probably, but it was inevitable. This was Olympus, and they were Carriers. Which brought on some thoughts Naruto didn't feel like touching yet, thanks. He let his mind flutter away from icicles and bloody fur, and bones jutting out of red-stained pant legs.

Cell Seven had been by, though. Sakura was all smiles and encouragement and Naruto was sure she had a slightly higher opinion of him now. Kakashi and Tsunade had both personally apologized, deeply disturbed by the sheer misfire and – it had to be said – amateurism with which they had handled the changes in the mission. But they were playing with fire without being able to see it, and Naruto understood this, so he didn't fault them for it. It was trial and error, and he was the error. Tech was already developing carry-on tracking devices and looking into higher-caliber guns. Which was something else Naruto would need to address once he was up. Things had gone very, very wrong, but not all of it was due to poor back-up. The rules of the game had changed.

But he didn't want to go there, either.

Anyway, Sakura was temporarily sweeter, like she was when he first met her, but he knew her Inner Amazon Woman (everything was All Caps when it came to Sakura) would emerge again soon enough. It was a comforting thought. Kakashi looked bothered but satisfied, and Naruto could tell he had won more than just acceptance from his mentor – he had won respect. Iruka had visited too, of course, all worried one moment and condescending the next, dropping a few textbooks by the bedside table with a meaningful look and a passing comment about all the free time he had. Naruto ruled that the man was clearly delusional and thanked him for the innocent visit.

And Sasuke was, well… Sasuke. Thing were different, like a thread woven strangely among the blanket of their 'relationship', or whatever they had. It was just one thread, but the pattern was off, and it was noticeable. The insults were the same, and had launched just three seconds after Sasuke stomped through the door. But Sasuke didn't avoid his gaze, or his general presence, anymore. They actually had a decent conversation ("I'm glad you're alive, dumbass, so we don't have to go back to mopping floors," "Thanks, asshole, I love you too, especially now that you're capable of emotion", and Sasuke's eye had twitched). And Sasuke hadn't stormed off. He'd remained for a few moments, then left with an easy "Later, moron", which was clearly "See you, comrade" in Sasukese. And it was maybe-nice because Naruto didn't come away from their encounters with the bitter taste of hatred in his mouth. Actually, it left Naruto slightly dazed for a reason he could not name. Things were, on the surface, better.

But, still. Two days left!

Two days of staring at the ceiling, square white tiles that didn't even have the decency of being an interesting shape. Two days of deadly boredom and timed visits from the nurse (a pretty thing that ignored him completely). Two days of listening to his own breath and the crinkling of the tape that held the IV in his arm and the muted sounds of the medical hallway and the fucking beeping. What was it about this place and sound? It was always so quiet. Naruto knew he was in trouble when he had The Beatle's 'USSR' stuck in his head for a whole day, because he only knew two lines of the song. The moment he was free he'd charge up his music player and make sure he filled his head with tunes he actually knew.

But that train of thought was gone when the door opened again heavily, giving Naruto two seconds to wonder who it'll be this time and if they brought him any ramen. He saw dark hair so he thought Sasuke? …but it wasn't him. Sure as hell looked like him though, complete with slightly pale complexion and feminine lips and small nose. But the blank look on his face certainly wasn't Sasuke's.

The boy – around his height – said nothing. Naruto sat up, rubbing his healed shoulder mindlessly, fixing him a confused look. "Hello?" He began.

"Hello," the boy said smoothly, still staring. Something like a smirk was growing on his face, but it was wrong, forced, mechanical. If Naruto had to give this boy a colour, it would be white, and dead.

There was more silence. Naruto hated being sized up, because that was what the boy was doing now, so he scrunched his eyes into a glare. "Well, what?"

The boy, though he was a little older than Naruto himself, it seemed, just kept smiling that horrible flat smile. "Nothing," he said through it. "Just wondering about the new Cell Seven boy."

Naruto blinked. "The new…?" oh. Yes. Iruka had mentioned that Cell Seven had been whole, once. There was a slight twinge in the boy's voice, and Naruto's eyes widened. "You?"

The boy nodded. "My name is Sai, first of Cell Seven. Current assignment classified. Specialities classified. How do you do?"

"Er. Good?"

"That is good. Goodbye."

"What? No – wait!" Naruto called out, reaching out to Sai. "Please! I need to know!"

Sai turned around, dropping his hand from the door. "What is it you wish to know?"

Naruto gripped the sheets on his lap nervously, desperately. This boy, there was something else about him, he could tell. His words fell from him before he could gather and stop them. "Many things. You've been here awhile, right? What is Konoha up to? Who is Itachi? Was Sasuke always a dick? Did you know my parents?"

The other boy's face changed again, something like amusement or suspicion. There was a strange shape of his eyes. Sai said, "You are Naruto Uzumaki?"

Naruto hunched closer. "Yeah."

"Parent's given names?"

"I… I don't know."

Sai looked at the ceiling. "I could look into it. I understand why you would not trust Konoha with such questions," he said, looking back at Naruto with a smile that sent a tremble to the back of Naruto's neck. "Konoha's intent and history is classified. Sasuke Uchiha's behaviour has always been troubled, especially as of late. And Itachi Uchiha is a Konoha operative."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "Uchi- what?"

Sai said nothing, face set into something that was perhaps supposed to be a pleasant smile.

"But – Itachi – Sasuke's brother, seriously? – he was working for Akatsuki!" He'd seen the resemblance, but it was still a shock to hear.

Sai just smiled.

"Okay, okay," Naruto muttered, pulling his legs close and drawing his head in his hands. "Wow. Okay. So – my parents?"

"I could look into it. But there is a price." Sai said, dipping his head to look at Naruto from underneath his eyebrows.

Naruto scowled, throat suddenly dry. Working around the lump in his throat he said: "What is the price? I have practically nothing, but -"

"Friends."

Naruto's worry dropped like a stone. He scrunched his eyes incredulously. "What?" He had been expecting his firstborn as a sacrifice, or something.

"Friends. I would like to be friends." Sai did not look like he was kidding, even if the smile was still up. His eyes never left Naruto's own.

He blinked. "Er. Alright?"

The boy came closer and reached his hand out for Naruto to shake it. He did, still frowning. "But you know, you don't have to agree to be friends. It just happens, man."

Sai's face was still blank, but his eyebrows sank a little. "You don't?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and clapped Sai on the shoulder. "No. And what's with the face, dude? Show some emotion!"

"I am still working on emotion," Sai admitted. Naruto's own brows rose to his hairline. Before he could ask, Sai imitated him. Eyebrows way high on his face, but rest of him still blank, he asked, "Is this showing surprise?"

"Um. Yeah. Don't do it for too long, though, or else you make people want to run away from you. Screaming."

Sai smiled again, dropping the 'surprise', but this time it looked a little more natural. Not by much, though. "Thank you," Sai said.

"Nah, thank you. Come by again, okay?" Naruto waved, starting to understand. There were all kinds of people on this planet, after all. Who was he to judge? Even if the guy was massively creepy, leaving both Creepy Eye Dude and Creepy Stalker Girl in the dust.

"Yes," Sai said, "Because we are friends. And I will try my best for you."

"Thanks," Naruto said again, weakly.

Sai left. The door shut heavily behind him, and Naruto stared wide-eyed at the opposite wall.

"Whoa," he said.

And two days later, Naruto was back on his feet, and back in the meeting room. Everyone was clustered around him, listening with bit lips to the full story for details he had not related during his recuperation. Authority figures, presumably cell leaders he'd never even seen before stared at him long and hard, and other soldiers barely older than him leaned against the far wall with rapt attention. There was approximately every cell that included his generation and up present, as well as everyone he did know. The room was packed full, and everything was being monitored and recorded. Understandably as many people as possible were gathered to hear the facts first-hand, but really now. In any other case he'd have loved to be the centre of the crowd, but not this time. Not when it involved something so… horribly personal.

"Then I finally got the boulder out of the way," Naruto finished, "and Sasuke was there, and, yeah. You know the rest." Naruto raised his shoulders in a final shrug and leaned back. He bit his cheek and tried not to be bothered by the clear worry on everyone's faces. He hadn't left out the influence of Nine from the story, but for some reason even he did not understand, failed to mention Itachi. Most had caught on that there were holes in the story, and didn't believe that the Guards had been conveniently dispatched when he came to consciousness, but, well, that was their problem. Those who mattered already knew the truth. A ringing warning at the back of his skull that had nothing to do with Nine warned him not to speak of Itachi in front of Sasuke, who stared at him with dartlike eyes and thin lips.

There was silence all around the meeting room.

"This is drastic," a cell leader mumbled. "An avalanche, of all things… Not just Akatsuki, Olympus itself is playing into this. Can Special Forces and the Carriers handle that?"

Naruto frowned and looked up to Jiraiya, who gazed back at him pensively. Naruto and Gaara, over by the far wall, were under silent scrutiny.

"It more than likely had something to do with Nine and One being in there at once," Jiraiya said slowly. "A single Carrier presence never set off Olympus before, and we had no other way of testing two of them. There was nothing we could have done, but at least we are more knowledgeable now."

Another leader cut in. "Wait. Shouldn't Carriers be barred off from the mountain completely, to prevent this from happening again? Slightly redundant to our purpose of secrecy, I mean…" There were murmurs of agreement, and Naruto's eyes hardened. Before he could shout something to whoever had spoken, Tsunade raised a hand.

"Carriers are classified as Special Forces. Their abilities greatly benefit us, and, to be honest, outstrip all other ability users. They are crucial in battle, and once full war is engaged, I am sure a Carrier's power greatly outweighs a little more chaos." She said. Kakashi and Jiraiya nodded, though a few faces frowned. "Though I admit I would limit their presence down to two, since we cannot handle storms any stronger than they already are. I doubt the other bases would be quick to lend us their 'treasures' anyhow," Tsunade sneered.

Naruto leaned back from the long centre table, drumming his fingers on it. Good. If they didn't allow him to fight, he'd be useless. All this would have been for nothing. Besides, he had a goal, and Akatsuki was part of it – they couldn't just strip him of his ambition. His eyes slit with that thought. No, he would fight and discover his place, and his parents', no matter what.

"Then we need to get down to what we're going to do," Jiraiya said seriously, his arms crossed. His foot tapped against the chair he sat on. His voice laced with authority reached everyone in the room. "I vote calling in more forces, all off-duty soldiers, and even allies if need be. Adjust our weaponry and formations, and up the Special Forces training. Clearly these new Guards are a lot harder to handle - that means Akatsuki has gotten their hands on better technology or all the Guards we've dealt with before were only prototypes. These are the real deal. They're intelligent, able to obey orders and directions, and, according to reports, do not fall to anything short of repeated assault or point-blank shotgun fire to the skull." He cast the whole room a dark look. "In other words, shit is in the process of hitting the fan."

"And then there's Olympus itself to worry about… And Nine," Kakashi leaned in over to Naruto. "You say you lost the necklace, and now you can speak to him easily?"

Naruto nodded, gripping the edges of the table. Tsunade's gaze on him made him guilty, and he could feel Sasuke's eyes on him, not to mention everyone else's, like a physical weight. He spoke slowly. "Nine, yeah. He calls himself Kyuubi."

"Nine tailed fox," Tsunade whispered. There was much mumbling behind her. Louder, she asked, "Can you hear him now? Is he listening at this very moment?" The whole room immediately stiffened worriedly.

Naruto dispelled the discomfort and irritation and scrunched his eyes in thought, searching inside of himself. It took a moment to clear all distractions, but then… there was the usual hollow of his own awareness and emptiness. All was as it should be. "…No. Not right now. He comes out when he wants, I guess, and I haven't tried talking to him of my own initiative."

The leaders stared at him in worry. "I do not think this is a good sign," Kakashi said slowly. "I think he's starting to take over. Trying to come out, at least." He stared at Naruto's face as the tension in the room increased.

Naruto sucked in a huge breath. Yeah, he knew what Kakashi was talking about. How could he not? The thought of letting the monster in him loose – again, a small voice that was his own this time, whispered. But don't think, don't think – almost made him physically sick. The thought that he might become hated here, too, made him nauseous as well.

"They haven't healed," Tsunade said quietly. She clenched her hands in front of her, ignoring all around her save for Naruto. "Do you know why?"

Naruto lifted a hand to trace the fine scars imprinted in his face. They were deep but smooth, almost careful. Naruto caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror shortly before, before being sick with horror and avoiding all reflective surfaces. Already healed like he was born with them, they had turned a strange shade of red, almost crimson-black, and were perfectly symmetrical on both cheeks. It scared him, even though they were but fight casualties, just soft indents. Scars were a normal result of battle, of course. But even though the wolf Guard had gouged his claws into Naruto's cheeks, it felt like Nine was responsible for it somehow… because they looked like whiskers.

Like a fox.

Like the monster inside him, bubbling with darkness and evil, barely restrained by a pitiful cage. Waiting to burst free, and claw Naruto's world inside out once again.

And everyone else saw it too. Their assumptions were clear – Nine was coming through, twisting him like One was sinking his claws into Gaara. He caught a few hostile and wary looks in the audience, scowling back at them. He wished Tsunade hadn't asked him this in public. Sakura reached over and squeezed his bicep reassuringly, and Sasuke's eyes glinted oddly in the too-bright fluorescent light.

"No," he finally said in a low breath. "I don't know."

"…Well then." Tsunade sat back, heaving a weary sigh. "Everyone is dismissed. Cell Seven and Gaara, stay." She flicked her hand in a "get to it" gesture. There was a lot of bustle and movement as the room's occupants slowly trickled out, muttering to themselves and all looking back at Naruto. Naruto crossed his arms and frowned at them all, even those that showed mere curiousity. As they left, the atmosphere of the room eased and the air was lighter. When Naruto could actually see all four walls at once, he sighed and let his shoulders slump. Now only Sakura, Kakashi, Sasuke, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Gaara remained.

"I'm afraid we're not done," Tsunade addressed the seated remnants. "We need to start maximizing Special Forces, Carrier training especially, though I'm worried about using Nine's abilities… well, we'll see to that later. We need to up all training as well... Naruto, you made it clear the weapons were ineffective. We need to change our tactics and formations as well. The AKs were not effective in terms of enemy damage, but direct blows were. So… bayonets?"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded with a scowl. "Jeez, bayonets on the AKs would have been damn helpful. Come to think of it, so would have machine guns."

Kakashi tutted at him. "No. Due to the cold our weapons arsenal is pitifully small, and we often had to make do with anything that would fire at all, like rifles, shotguns, and AKs, who are notoriously reliable. It's a miracle the 9mm pistols work at all. We've tried everything else - machine guns would be ineffective because of their incredible weight, and LMGs are the only kind that can be carried alone. Normally the heat of one shot is enough to keep the gun warm enough to fire for a time, but our attempts with LMGs prove they freeze too fast for even one shot. Miniguns, because they have an electric motor, are even more useless. So we stick to AKs and the like."

"But we've got the TOWs and Javelins. Armored vehicle missiles. Those work." Naruto raised a brow.

"Yeah, with engine-powered warming systems and their own thermal output. Ask the weapon technicians or operatives," Tsunade waved a hand dismissively. "So again, all ballistics are out. We can't risk destruction, and we need information from Akatsuki – we can't just fire a missile and leave them to crawl out of the rubble. Not only is that unprofessional, it also means we'd be no better than them."

"Since we need firepower - I've heard you can make a flamethrower out of SuperSoakers," Naruto butted in. "You know, plastic. They melt though." He winced.

They all gave him a look of "shut up, Naruto." They must've practiced it or something, cause it was pretty dead-on.

"No, really guys!" Naruto cried, ignoring Sasuke's condescending smirk by kicking him in the shin. "I mean, I think there's one or three chemical compounds that might do the trick, but speaking of actual weaponry, flamethrowers or nail bombs might work."

"The problem is that you underestimate flamethrowers, Naruto," Kakashi shook his head. "Trust me, we've thought of that. They're too powerful, and fire is organic – it goes around things, it cooks everything within range. We'd either melt half the mountain or fry our own soldiers."

"Okay, okay, so nail bombs then – it's not too explosive, or at least no worse than gunfire. Death by shrapnel and bleeding out, actually. Multiple deep wounds, which is exactly what it takes to take out a Guard now. I would know."

They accepted his look of reproach with uncomfortable shifting, but Sasuke just scoffed. Tsunade looked pensive. "Alright, alright. Now what was that about gases?"

Naruto sat up happily. "Well I think there's a lbister agent that only freezes at below 65 Celsius, which the inner labyrinth is way above." He suddenly frowned. "But that's the problem, we're going for toxins here, right? Something that kills almost immediately, not just wounds. So blister gases aren't the solution. Hmmm... you'd have to let me loose in the library or the lab for this."

"Right," Tsunade said, obviously tired. "Now about Carriers –"'

The door opened and a nameless soldier popped his head in. "Sir?" He asked. Tsunade nodded at him to come forward, and he did so, handing her a pile of sheets. "There's a disturbance in the radio stats, Sir."

Naruto leaned in closer to try to see, though he couldn't have understood the radar screen readings even if he could see them. Tsunade frowned as she leafed through them. Kakashi stood to peer over her shoulder and looked at the reporting soldier questioningly. "Radio only?"

"Yes sir. No thermal discrepancies or sound displacement that we can pick up. Defense is still looking into it, trying different microwaves. Our range is limited, though, sir."

Tsunade closed her eyes in thought. Naruto, however, had no qualms about shattering anything. "Hey, old lady," Naruto frowned. "What's that mean?"

Sasuke cast an eye at Naruto disapprovingly. "It means there's something out there that's coming closer, and it's trying to hide."

Sakura shared a long look with Tsunade and said what most were thinking aloud. "Could be a glitch, we've had unidentifiable blips in radar before, right, Sir? …Or, most likely, it's a cloaked aircraft as either an assault, or a diversion to make us look away from Olympus."

Tsunade sucked in a breath and punched the table. It splintered and cracked impressively. "Damn! More trouble, just when we don't need it!" Then she closed her eyes again and clasped her hands together, pressing against her forehead. This time, Naruto had the sense to leave her be. He looked to his cell members. Sasuke hunched forward with his chin on his interwoven hands, staring at the sheets of paper darkly. Sakura shook her head at him.

"Just… return to your cell's appointed room." Tsunade opened her eyes and began to order them all. "We'll continue this later, Kakashi will tell you what to do for now. Naruto, meet with Shizune in RA01, green hallway, at 15:00 immediately after your meal for chemical research. Gaara, you know where to go. All dismissed."

They left the room with a heavy sense of foreboding.

"Sasuke."

Nothing.

"Sas-u-ke."

"What," Sasuke said rashly, turning to glare at Naruto. It was the first sign of recognition Naruto had received since he'd grit his teeth at Naruto's proved inability to knock, three minutes ago. "What do you want. And how did you find my room?"

Naruto smirked and leaned against the doorframe, picking at his standard issue sleepwear identical to Sasuke's. "Oh, just asked around. But that's not important. I have something to tell you, Sasuke."

Sasuke froze then clicked the heavy book shut, intensifying his scowl. He swung himself off the bed and came to stand in front of Naruto defiantly. "What."

Naruto shook his head and reached out to grab Sasuke by the sleeve, ignoring the twitch backward. He dragged the other boy out of the room's light and padded confidently down the sleeping quarters with Sasuke still in tow. Sasuke ripped his arm out of Naruto's hold and walked beside him sullenly.

The hallways were different at night. Since the dormitory hall was colour-coded brown, it came off as nearly black in the shadows, and corners seemed to disappear. There was not another soul in sight or another sound to be heard. Though Konoha boasted no windows, there was still an undying sense of night and day due to the dim lights – Konoha was definitely a multi-purpose facility, and needed to accommodate it's inhabitants, so the lights were dimmed at night, though never turned off. It made the corridors seem even longer, and the whole of Konoha even larger than it already was. It was almost foreboding, like it had been to Naruto at first. Naruto enjoyed walking through the halls during sleep hours, letting his hands trail against the matte finish walls and bumping his toes on the floor sluggishly. There was something weirdly soothing about it, despite the cold seeping into his skin and finding its way into his bones.

"What is it," Sasuke said again at last, once they had cut into the inter-corridor and began to wander meaninglessly about the other halls. Neither boy looked at each other. Their steps echoed in the slight dark, the chill setting in easier through the lighter sleepwear.

Naruto clenched his fists, breathing in deeply. This might be a bad idea, but he simply had to know. Kakashi kept fending off his questions and everyone else ignored them altogether, and Sakura knew as little as he did. "I…" Naruto began, looking straight ahead. "I met someone inside Olympus."

Sasuke instantly stiffened, halting his steps. Quickly he came to and began walking beside Naruto again, shoving his hands in his pockets. Apparently Sasuke already knew what was to come. "Who?" he asked slowly, heavily.

Naruto breathed in again. "He… he said his name was Itachi."

Dead silence from his companion. Then, an icy: "Oh, really."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke quickly. His face was black with hatred, and his eyes moved to meet Naruto's harshly. "And what did he want?"

Naruto hesitated. They had stopped walking. "Not much. He was the one who saved me, you know. Well, I bet you already guessed that… anyway… he just said, 'Say hello to my little brother.'"

Sasuke's face, if possible, twisted with even more dislike. He might even have been shaking.

"Sasuke," Naruto said easily. He was almost afraid to touch the other boy. "Calm down, alright –"

"Calm down? Calm down?" Sasuke spat. "Ugh. This is why you brought me out here – to chat about that bastard? Tch. I'm done." His fist clenched and drew back like he was about to throw a punch, but it simply fell to his side as he turned to go.

Naruto shut his eyes tight. "Sasuke," he called out, sounding out the name carefully on his tongue. He could hear Itachi's voice in his head: Do not accept everything you are told as the truth. "What's going on? Why is Konoha lying to me? Why did your brother help me, when -?"

"I don't give a flying shit," Sasuke gritted as he continued further from Naruto. His voice rebounded back to Naruto through the shadows.

"Sasuke," Naruto said again. Sasuke kept walking away. Naruto slowly fell to sit down cross-legged on the floor, looking on helplessly. Suddenly this was about more than just the overwhelming blanket of lies Naruto felt he was wrapped around in, the answers he had been sure Sasuke could provide. Visions of Sasuke at the tunnel entrance, Sasuke in the meeting room, Sasuke at his bedside filled his head.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered, clenching his hands so tight his nails pierced his palms and blood tricked to the floor. "Tell me. Tell me, Sasuke. I'm – I'm going crazy, Sasuke. Sasuke…" his voice trailed off into silence. He didn't know what he was saying.

Much father down the hall, Sasuke stopped. It was darker there - he was but a shadow among shadows.

Naruto's face darkened and his weakness left him. No. No, he would not fall. This… madness that stole over him was just a delusion. He was just, just… out of his mind, and Sasuke happened to be floating close by in the same outer space, the same sphere of insanity, radiating the same emotions Naruto felt constantly. They were just similar delusions. He had been thinking some funny, crazy thoughts, and had almost let them get to him, had almost believed them. But he would not. Naruto was strong, and he'd forget all about Sasuke and leave him in the dust. He'd find the answers and the happiness he craved all by himself – even if his heart was pounding so hard it was ready to break through his ribs, and his eyes burned.

Naruto got up numbly and turned, walking in the opposite direction - leaving Sasuke to stare at his retreating bleeding form as it vanished from sight.  


  
To Be Continued


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Soundtrack: Anti-saint – Chevelle, Lateralus – Tool, Closer – Kings of Leon

"Aaaaand… time. The winner is Naruto."

Naruto dropped like a stone where he stood, just inches from Kakashi. He rolled his back languidly and sighed, worn out. Sakura sat down with exhaustion but dignity, and Sasuke just stayed where he was.

Kakashi was driving them harder and harder, and Naruto's screaming muscles proved it. Under the name of "games" Cell Seven was run through sudden-death all-out matches against one another, utilizing every skill to eliminate the others. Once they had understood and memorized every ability of the others, the three soldiers were pitted against their own leader using drilled-in strategy and defense/attack formations, using blockades and "freeze points" – certain objects which kept you frozen for a certain amount of seconds, meant to represent reloading and assessment in combat, during which you could still be attacked – to drive the reality of it home. Naruto had not been allowed his "powers" for this game, though the others were. So Naruto, working with only his many frustrations and fears, had barely won this one. Speaking of which…

"Technique-wise," Kakashi loomed over Naruto with interest, his one eye twinkling, "how do you think you did?"

Naruto nearly cracked his jaw yawning, then grinned. "Freaking awesome, like always. Sir."

Rolling her eyes and kicking at him lightly, Sakura snorted. "Oh please, I've seen faster slugs. If I'd had a good night's sleep, I would have won." She turned her eyes skyward again as Kakashi gave her a familiar stern look. "I know, sir, that's no excuse to anyone. But I really didn't sleep much." She defended.

"Me neither," Naruto yawned wide again, rolling over to lay on his stomach facing Sakura and Sasuke. "I had a dream I was being chased by zombies." He said with a grin. Sakura chuckled.

Kakashi wasn't so lenient. "Well, you certainly have improved… but I saw at least a dozen flaws, Naruto. You are too rash, and always leap into action seconds before the others. The most important thing is t-"

"Teamwork," Cell Seven said aloud in groaning unison. Sakura smiled a little at that, and Sasuke eventually sat down Indian-style beside her. Slight rings adorned his eyes – he did not need to say anything. None of Cell Seven had slept well, not with countless worries and urgent danger approaching, creeping closer second by second.

Naruto swallowed hard. The rock of sick worry and urgency sat in his stomach, clawing at the lining like Rosemary's baby. So many fears, so much dread and anxiety gnawed within, slowly eating their way out. But he did what he always did – took the most pressing matter first, letting the others simmer until it was their turn. If he didn't, he'd go crazy. And now, the most pressing matter was –

Me, cackled the voice.

Naruto grimaced, twisting his face away from Sasuke's ever dark eyes. A welcome hatred rose in his throat. Yes. Him. His loathsome voice now greeted Naruto more than ever before.

I've always been here, always, Kyuubi purred. And you've known for a while now. But it bothers you now, of all times? Not when - ?

Shut up, Naruto thought, shifting around a lot to make up for his silence to his Cell members. Shut up. The hated voice, grating like metal against his head, bounced around to the point where it was hard to think of anything else when the demon spoke.

Gyahahaha! You amuse me so, infant. With those parting words Naruto felt Kyuubi's presence slowly evaporate from his mind.

Naruto bit his lip and looked down, ruing the day when he had agreed to Tsunade's suggestion of pushing himself to confront Kyuubi. The extra power was not worth the mental torture, especially now that he had no divine necklace to hold him off once his mental defenses were down. He blinked and looked up, catching Sasuke's eye, then quickly turning away.

He caught the water bottle Kakashi threw at him with practiced ease, and drank it gratefully. Once it was empty he turned a blinding smile to his leader.

"Lunch?" He asked sweetly, even fluttering his eyelashes.

"Hmmm," Kakashi said pleasantly, lazily. He turned a page in a new book – it was green this time. "How do you feel?"

"Great!" Naruto chirped, ignoring Sakura's wild throat-slicing gestures. Her look darkened.

"Good," Kakashi smiled obviously beneath his mask. "So you're alright to give me two laps, one minute! All of you, come on! No lunch until I've completely exhausted you," he said sweetly.

Naruto's face dropped, pouting as Sakura whacked him lightly on the head. Sasuke just sighed softly and up they went to the track field, already sprinting. To dull the anxieties in his head, Naruto hummed a song, focusing only on the melody sweetly absorbing into his mind and his thrumming legs and pumping heart. There was no screeching voice.

"Uuugh," Naruto moaned. "My legs are going to fall off!"

"It's your fault," Sakura snapped, walking just as stiffly as he. "You practically begged him to increase the laps!"

Naruto grumbled unintelligibly, concentrating on making it to the cafeteria without his knees giving out. He was still sweating, like both his teammates, but for once he wasn't cold.

They entered and immediately lined up, grabbing a regular lunch. Sakura pestered Naruto until he took an apple and they both gave Sasuke meaningful looks when he didn't take anything other than soup. After two minutes of dark staring and holding up the line, Sasuke consented and grabbed the nearest salad of whatever, but not without letting them know how much he hated them. Sakura looked a bit put off with that but Naruto had practice, so he didn't care, and jovially led them to the table they usually sat at, up front and centre. "So I can see when they restock the ramen," Naruto informed them dutifully.

Sakura just shook her head and dropped her tray, but went off to chat with some friends in other tables. That left Sasuke and Naruto alone for the first time since the confrontation-that-wasn't-a-confession last night. Even with the comfortable din of a crowded place every noise suddenly felt too quiet to Naruto, who was usually very in tune with sound. It was as if the sound of the room was melting into a white mess, dulling and fading.

"Must be my imagination," Naruto said breezily, digging into his pasta. Man, whoever said all cafeteria food was gross was probably receiving a slap in the face about now. This stuff was delicious.

Sasuke had long since learned to ignore Naruto's need to fill up silence with disjointed thoughts, and kept steadily to his own food.

They kept to themselves as the empty sound stretched further. There was an untouchable awkwardness left from the night before that neither could or would label, but it was there and almost palpable all the same. Naruto could never read minds, but he dearly wished to know what Sasuke was thinking. The fading scars in his palms tingled with the memory of his sudden madness. No matter how he tried or how many meaningless notions he chased, he could not escape the thoughts that Sasuke appeared in, smirking, already one step ahead. A light would flash in his eyes and he'd turn slowly, ready to continue without Naruto. It made his breath come heavy, just for a moment, then the thought and sentiment faded, leaving Naruto strangely barren. And worst of all… they plagued him night and day.

I'm just crazy, crazy, Naruto thought. Crazy like a fuckin' fox. He scowled. He imagined a swirl of spaghetti was Sasuke's face and stabbed into it viciously. Sasuke looked up briefly at the angry scraping of the metal fork, but said nothing as always.

Even when desperately singing a song in his head, the white silence was about to eat Naruto whole. Then Sakura came back, after what felt like eternities, but was probably only a minute. The regular noise returned, and the sounds dripped out of the white mess, whole and colourful. Naruto internally sighed with relief.

She wasn't alone. Jiraiya winked as he dropped himself into a chair by Naruto, laughing loudly and poking him in the ribs. There were others, too, some that he recognized and others he didn't. Everyone crowded close. (It seemed like the canteen had gotten smaller – until Naruto realized there were more people in it that ever. The whole room was a shifting blur of black and green, a tense mass preparing for the inevitable. No doubt extra soldiers called to service.)

"Don't you have something authoritive to do somewhere else?" Naruto said between mouthfuls of pasta, jabbing his fork accusingly at the white-haired elder. Jiraiya fended it off with his knife, saying, "Maybe, but once in a while they let me out of my cage to eat."

Naruto snorted and took a gulp of his drink. "You mean the girls' showers were empty."

Sakura looked almost scandalized before Jiraiya jabbed Naruto viciously with his elbow. Naruto cackled. Then he took serious stock of the faces at their table for the first time – he saw with apprehension that Creepy Stalker Girl and Creepy Eye Dude were there as well, though why they'd suddenly choose his table after nearly a month of staying clear baffled him. Their resemblance, now that he saw them side by side, was uncanny. Creepy Stalker Girl was introduced by Sakura as Hinata of Cell Ten, who looked down and blushed at Naruto's familiar greeting. Creepy Eye Dude became Neji, who could rival Sasuke in terms of silence and cold looks, but still nodded to Naruto as he was introduced. He was admittedly pretty, with his long hair and dignified face. Naruto tore his eyes away and grinned at Shikamaru, who barely blinked in response. Naruto looked to the rest – a boy with a fur hood that entirely hid his hair, but left the massive red tattoos on his cheeks perfectly visible. The boy gave a toothy grin as he met Naruto's stare.

"Kiba of Cell Ten," the boy exclaimed proudly. From somewhere behind him came a loud, "Woof!"

Naruto blinked, then leaned his chair back to attempt to glimpse what the hell that sound had just been. Sasuke cracked a tiny smile and Sakura outright grinned. Everyone clearly knew something he didn't. Suddenly, peeking out from above the lunch table was a massive, snow-white dog. Naruto held back a flinch – he knew it wasn't a Guard, but it sure as hell looked like one, dammit – and stared incredulously. Kiba laughed.

"…And this is Akamaru," he said in his deep, laughing voice. There was something in his naturally-narrowed eyes and rogue grin that Naruto found familiar, and he relaxed and grinned back.

"Nice to meet you both," Naruto said easily. "And I bet you all know me –" he raised an arm to flex it mockingly, looking dramatic. Everyone either scoffed or laughed.

The last person was a boy with short-cut hair and dark sunglasses, despite the lack of sun both inside and out. He wore a high-collared green coat that hid his face up to his nose, and said nothing.

"That's Shino," Kiba winked as he not-so-lightly patted the mysterious boy on the shoulder. "He's in our cell too. Don't let his stupid afro fool you, he's a beast in battle. Not as good as me, though," Kiba barked with laughter. His dog panted loudly and reared on his hind legs to place a front paw on Kiba's shoulder, which Kiba brushed off and ruffled Akamaru's head instead. Everyone seemed perfectly used to the massive canine, which Naruto wondered about. Why on earth would they let a soldier's pet come along to the base?

Shino slowly turned to look at Kiba for his comment, but his expression was unreadable. There was no plate of food in front of him, which meant Naruto wasn't going to see if the guy was hiding a disfiguring scar underneath there somewhere. Damn. Maybe he was in the Masked Avengers club with Kakashi. All Shino'd need is a rocking eyepatch and they could be the Devilish Duo!

From there conversation flowed easily, and Naruto's energy came back tenfold as usual. Kiba had a sense of mischief visible through his easy humour that Naruto got along perfectly with, and Hinata agreed with everything he said, no matter how ridiculous, despite Neji's intense stares. Sasuke said nothing, choosing to discreetly move his chair back and away from those pressed necessarily close around him. Sakura reprimanded Naruto's horrible table manners and Jiraiya kept turning his head whenever a pretty girl walked by. Shikamaru had his head in his hands, plugging his ears from the constant noise, looking pained. In short, even with all the recent events, Naruto felt more at ease here, in a crowded table, than he had in the past two days.

As Naruto finished his plate the VA system came to life. The chatter of the room died down substantially. It boomed over the massive room: "Would all operatives of the Hyuuga name please report immediately to Defense. Again, would all Hyuuga operatives report immediately to Defense. Thank you." It died, then the clamor immediately rose again. Naruto was ready to forget the announcement -

But he was surprised to see Hinata and Neji both rise gracefully, nodding or blushing their farewells. Naruto waved at Hinata and she ducked her flaming face out of sight as they left.

He poked Jiraiya. "What are they wanted for?"

Jiraiya scowled at the poke and swatted Naruto's head. "The Hyuugas? They're our best sighters. We've got more than just flimsy radars, you know. The radio towers only boost the faint signal so much. When we need precision, we look to the Hyuugas. And they look for us," he chuckled.

"So their freaky eyes are cause of some special ability like Sasuke's?" Naruto raised an eyebrow, motioning to his own eyeballs. He should've figured.

Again Sakura kept him in line, punching him meaningfully on the shoulder. "Be polite, jerkface," she frowned, keeping her eyes on him as she bit into an apple.

Naruto scrunched his face up like a screeching newborn. "Wifebeater!"

Sakura recoiled jokingly. "You're not my wife," she said, smiling at Kiba's loud laughter.

"Then why do you beat me?" Naruto wailed. Everyone cracked a smile at that, and nearby tables chuckled.

The rest of their brief time for lunch flew quickly by, and they parted (on the most part) with smiles and laughter. Kiba and Naruto high-fived, promising to meet up sometime when the daily training was done. Sasuke and Sakura left to continue their specialized training, and as they turned Naruto caught Sasuke's eyes for the briefest moment. His face changed slightly, but Naruto could not read into it. They parted without exchanging any words.

Only Jiraiya accompanied him to RA01, where he was to meet this Shizune lady. Naruto had a hunch Jiraiya's main purpose was actually to keep an eye on him, which made Naruto's insides twist – they had a reason to be fearful. Kyuubi was, in fact, slowly coming "awake" inside of him, but Naruto fought this with all he had. There were whispers during lunch, breaths of malicious air while training. Kyuubi was not persistant so much as taunting, proving he could resurface inside Naruto's mind whenever he wished, and only extreme effort on Naruto's part could shut him out. Still – when they discovered all was not right, would Konoha spit him out just as quickly as it had sucked him in? Naruto was afraid of this. He didn't think he could bear to lose the one place – dubious intentions or not – he had come to call home. And so…

He lied. …Besides, he reasoned, we've all got enough on our plates, especially now with something probably approaching Konoha. I can take care of this by myself. Nothing to worry about!

His stomach gave a funny lurch, and something grated inside his head that surely wasn't of his own volition. Naruto flinched.

Jiraiya caught it. "Everything all right?" He asked, as they traveled concentrically toward the green hallway. Jiraiya searched Naruto's face carefully.

"Yeah," Naruto said casually, careful not to change his gait, watching the many, many soldiers flocking by and dodging a few. It was like a high school hallway between bells. "I just don't think that pasta agreed with me. I'm pretty sure there was more than just meatballs in that sauce, if you know what I mean," he gave Jiraiya an exaggerated serious look.

The white-haired man blinked but took it in stride. "Hm, yes, once in a while the cooks extract their revenge. They hate us all, you know." He said conspiratorially. Naruto nodded in complete understanding.

Soon enough they reached the large hallway and were immediately at RA01, first door directly before them. Jiraiya opened it and Naruto stepped in after him – then stopped.

It was a lab like the kind you see in crazy scientist movies, like Frankenstein's research modernized and gathered into one room, with the promise of much more to come. About three times the size of regular rooms, RA01 was almost like a factory. Three main long tables dominated the centre of the room, filled and stacked high with equipment and glass cases and vials and testing computers, and practically everything that his poor-ass college didn't have. Doubtlessly all the labs were separated by purpose – this room seemed designated to the third state of matter. Gas regulators, chromatographs, freezers and refrigerators, safety cans, and countless other tools cluttered the place. The Research &amp; Scientific Analysis staff milled around, adding to the chaos. Naruto stared at nothing in particular with awe, but a pretty raven-haired woman in heels swiftly came to greet them, calling for his attention. Funnily enough, a small piglet padded quickly after her, dodging the roaming feet in its path. What was it with pets today?

She stopped just short of the pair, her dark eyes looking them both over. She was tall and elegant but strangely cute. "Hello, I'm Shizune. Thanks, sir Jiraiya, you can go," The woman told him, wasting no time. Jiraiya looked momentarily taken aback, but just shrugged and left with a wink. Naruto grinned and waved goodbye, turning back to Shizune. She took him by the arm gently.

"So Naruto, there's no point in explaining why you're here. What have you got?" She said, as she led him to the only hassle-free corner of the bustling room, assorted with cabinets and the odd electron microscope on the side-table. Naruto sat down on one of the stray stools and tore his eyes away from the activity.

"Um," He replied intelligently.

Shizune bent down to scoop up her squealing pet, waiting. Naruto blinked and brought himself down to earth. "Oh. What I've got, right. Well. I was thinking HN-2, a Nitrogen Mustard gas. Freezes at around negative sixty degrees, which is compatible with the inside of Olympus. It's pretty unstable though, and its effect are pretty delayed. We'd have to release it well beforehand."

"HN-2," Shizune said pensively, as Naruto observed the lab's happenings. The hustle and whirring became a strangely comforting din. "Yeah, could work, but realize most Guards have incredibly thick hides, or fur. I'm sure the effect would be even more greatly delayed or dulled, if it gets in at all. And I don't think we can risk direct injection."

"Not if it gets in their eyes, which is what blister agents pretty much do," Naruto defended. "Then we wouldn't have much to worry about. Except, like I said, waiting."

"Yeah, nothing to worry about except god-knows-how-many pain-enraged beasts thrashing around blindly," Shizune said dryly, standing up to stroll about the lab. Naruto was obviously meant to follow her. He feasted his eyes on the chromatographs and glass-encased computers as they continued their conversation. "Maybe, that's why I'm saying blister agents aren't the solution. I mean, there's a few more that won't freeze instantly, but they're just not what we're after. And, er, what exactly is everyone doing?"

Shizune smiled, and Naruto saw that she was all the prettier for it. "The exact same thing you are. Trying to come up with an agent that will balance us against our new disadvantage."

Naruto sighed, then something caught his eye.

Over by the farthest wall on a cluttered shelf was a disarrayed stack of books, a few propped open or scattered or used as weights. Naruto stared at a particular thick tome, the kind of book you'd avoid at all costs during school assignments. Brown and aged and uninteresting, only Naruto seemed aware of its existence. He went straight for it, smoothly sliding out of the way of the many mumbling staff, reaching the shelf with a sense similar to approaching a goldmine. He picked it up and laid it on the nearest clear space – another stool – and flicked through the musty pages to the table of contents.

Flick, flick, flick - ah, there it was, in faded classical letters: Nerve Gases.

Shizune came to stand beside him, glancing at where his blunt finger marked the spot. Her brows furrowed. "Weapons of mass destruction. Nice. We're going to have fun acquiring that." Her pet pig made a tiny squeaking sound in agreement and wiggled a bit.

But Naruto ignored her and flipped rapidly toward the indicated spot, the pages leaving his fingers feeling dusty and tingling with apprehension. And then -

"There!" Naruto cried, the moment his eyes skimmed the chapter title. "X-5!"

Shizune looked dubious, but leaned in to read. "I've heard of it before. I though it was so unstable the associated nuclei could not bond short of a collider."

"Definitely not," Naruto leaned in with her to read aloud, "X-5, a nerve gas. Highly unstable in temperatures of over negative twenty degrees, forms weak covalent bonds with oxygen starting at negative thirty. Point sixty-seven percent heavier than common air. A cholinesterase inhibitor… oh. Death by respiratory and cardiac arrest, ultimately asphyxiation. Lovely. Acts in under twelve minutes, more potent than Novichok's gases or V-series. See? It's perfect!" It was morbid, but exiting. Gases were commonly used as biohazard war weapons, that, although unethical, got the job done. They were thorough… and messy. Acetylcholine is a chemical compound in your nervous system that more or less causes your muscles to contract, which is then immediately degraded by its enzyme acetylcholinesterase, causing the muscles to relax. If you inhibit that enzyme, it means your muscles are locked in a stimulated state. And while you're delightfully asphyxiating, you remain relatively conscious. Fantastic, terrifying way to die.

Shizune looked contemplatively at the volume. "Sounds promising, yes, however… I know Sir Sarutobi's got some pull, but I still don't know if we'll get enough. We'd have to take out nearly every Guard for a final assault to be effective, but we don't even know the true size of Olympus yet. Not to mention there's the issue of carrying and administering this nerve gas in the first place."

Naruto marked the page with a nearby pen and closed it. "Well then, tell that old woman in charge around here to hurry up and approve the next mission already, so we can take first things first. I'm prepared for this round," he grinned. Then he saw Shizune's expression and stopped. "Oh god. What?"

"You're not going back inside Olympus, Naruto," Shizune explained gently. Seeing his darkening expression she continued hurriedly. "I mean, not until the final assault. You know there's concern over Nine and your own health, as well as aftereffects in the mountain..."

Naruto turned slightly, breathing in deep. A moment passed, then another.

"Right," he finally mumbled. "I get it."

It wasn't that he was eager to put himself back in danger. Naruto did firmly believe he had improved adequately, especially when armed with the improved selection of weaponry. But it was also about purpose – if he could not fight, if he could not be useful… why was he here? There was little worse than to be pitied, to be of no use, and left to rot in his grave, forgotten.

"Cell Ten will be sent to continue your aborted mission, and more defensive measures will be taken to ensure their safety… though we doubt they will need it since they're not Carriers, obviously." Shizune said gently, then smiled and offered her piglet to him as comfort. "It'll go fine, we'll get this sorted out, and Akatsuki will be taught their lesson soon enough. Here. I'll let you hold him if you want. It always makes me feel better."

The blond blinked and dragged himself out of his damned self-pity. "Er." Naruto looked at the dangling, wiggling baby pig uncertainly. "I… think I'll pass, thanks. I'm not that heartbroken."

The woman frowned but shrugged, gathering the piglet closer to her and cuddling it. "Anyway. They're set to commence tomorrow, so planning can start tomorrow evening. We'll have a better idea of the perimeters and therefore the quantity and application of nerve gas we should invest in so I'll call you back here then. Oh, we'll have to order some biosuits too… and autoinjectors…"

Naruto stood by, nodding diligently. "Yeah, definitely. Can I go now?"

Shizune dismissed him carelessly, already calling someone over. "Yes, Special Forces as usual. You know where to go. …Oh, and nice to meet you. I'll see you again soon."

"Yeah, same. Later," Naruto waved as he strode out, leaving the impressive lab. Once the door swing firmly shut behind him he actually stopped completely and drew in a deep breath, already worried.

Straining his energy, calling forth Kyuubi's power… that would certainly end well. He could just tell them that Kyuubi's presence has been getting stronger and stronger… and get his ass either locked up, put on constant surveillance, or kicked out. None of those options appealed to him. Naruto slowly exhaled and took a brave step forward. He'd just fight Kyuubi off and do his best. One problem at a time…

Think of it as training, he told himself, and with a yawn and a shiver he continued.

Gaara and Jiraiya were waiting for him, so as soon as Naruto walked through the door into the familiar damned white room of S12. Jiraiya clapped him firmly on the shoulder and waved Gaara closer.

"Good, that didn't take long at all," the older man grinned.

Naruto just yawned. "Can we get started already? I'm hungry."

Jiraiya looked incredulous. "You just ate."

"Thinking takes up a lot of calories, you know," Naruto whined as irritatingly as he could manage.

"Whatever," Jiraiya sighed as he caught Gaara's impatience and retired to the side of the door, leaning against the wall. Gaara approached.

Naruto tensed despite himself at his first face-to-face with Gaara since… well… their delightful encounter in the ice mountain. Gaara's eyes were as dark and forbidding as ever, but there was a different tilt to them than before. The Carrier of One spoke first. It wasn't quite what Naruto was expecting.

"Are you certain you are able to continue this training, and to call forth Nine?" Said the fire-haired boy. He stood still and intimidating as always, but Naruto did not read any test or examination for weakness. Still, it wasn't concern either.

"Of course," Naruto stuck his chin up defiantly. Gaara would know better than anyone his ordeal with the demon inside him, especially when triggered to catastrophic results within Olympus, for Naruto had heard that One had given everyone a spot of trouble. Was he on to something? What did Gaara know?

Gaara observed him for a tense second. "Very well," he said slowly, heavily. "To start - I attack, you defend, then switch."

Naruto didn't nod, but hunched forward, already perspiring, delving into his mind for the power that was his own, not Kyuubi's. It was vague but there, ready, waiting, waiting…

The attack came like lightning, undeclared and brutal. Gaara had wrenched his body forward to deliver a punch, but his feet did not move – instead, a flicker of deadly dust shot at Naruto. Naruto threw his arms out to direct the point of solid air he conjured, straining his mind and feeling the pull of energy from himself, forming in front of his hands. The eerie yellow sand crashed into Naruto's invisible shield, pushing it back slightly before both energies wore themselves out and disappeared. But Naruto and Gaara never stood still – though not exchanging physical blows, their supernatural attacks invaded the air between them. There was another silent dust-punch aimed straight for his head. Naruto jumped out of the way to give himself time to invent a new attack. The power was his, it was up to him to choose how to execute it, at least if it was simple enough. Naruto had never had a chance to develop more highly-advanced attacks like Gaara did, but managed to hold his own by improvising and pulling off strong hits. While the demonic sand was still rushing toward him, Naruto jumped back repeatedly until he'd gathered enough power to throw out. A light, almost gold layer of energy flew out from Naruto's hands and, instead of taking the sand head-on, wrapped itself around it. Naruto smoothly conjured it to him, ignoring the sweat pooling on his brow, and with a powerful grunt he threw the bundled energies right back at Gaara.

But Gaara was ready. Incredibly, impossibly – Gaara opened his mouth wide and literally swallowed the powerful blast. Naruto could do nothing but stare in amazement as he watched Gaara's entire face glow from the surreal action, then fade as Gaara exhaled and formed the same mixed energy, only with the power increased tenfold, gathering and molding in front of Gaara's mouth. Instantly he drew out the last of his breath and with it, the energy took off like a shot for Naruto.

"Gah!" Naruto had no time to stop it, and only barely managed to jump away. He landed awkwardly on both feet, staring with disbelief at where a nice smoking crater now lay. The scent of charred ceramic dust filled the air.

Gaara gave him a flat stare. "You are supposed to counterattack."

"Wha-?" Naruto flailed slightly. "Counter THAT? What the – how do you come up with this crap?" He motioned to the charred depression in the floor, one of the many marks this room had acquired over Naruto's training there.

Jiraiya called from the door with boredom, "You could use that wind shuriken thing again."

Naruto turned to give the elder a frown. Yes, his – the strange magic he had mentally used during the exam would have decimated Gaara's attack. But that had taken desperation and incredible power, definitely not the kind of situation he was in right now. Besides, that attack felt… off limits, or even holy, somehow. Like a secret he held but most work to unlock. He didn't like that fact that entirely all of Konoha knew of his trial, or so it seemed.

"You mean Rasengan?" He said darkly. Jiraiya visibly reacted to the name, which Naruto thought interesting. "Yeah, I could. But it's… I don't know how to describe it. Very high level? I don't think I can pull it off right now."

The older man looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "Fine," he said. "Then we'll have to get you to that level, though since time is not on our side it might take a bit of help from Kyuubi. Naruto, I want you to use some of Nine's power to mix into your own, like you've managed recently."

Naruto gulped internally. Oh, here it was. Yes, through training Naruto had realized that he actually had two distinct types of "power", separate in his mind's eye when he conjured them – his own, coloured a golden yellow, and Kyuubi's, which was the foulest, malignant red. At first he could not control which energy he summoned, and resulted in very destructive attacks or flimsy defenses. It was difficult to describe the churning, dancing, yet different powers inside of him and how he called to them, pulled them forward to touch his consciousness. The best attempt was that it was a river, and with effort Naruto could create a diverging stream that led straight to him. The challenge was in forcing this stream toward him while keeping it straight despite it's attempts to break off. His control and ability to control the river had improved marvelously, but… not enough to force back Kyuubi while calling on his power.

But – "I'll try," he said.

Oh, how he dearly wished he had Tsunade's divine necklace now! Just the thought of using the red energy for the Rasengan seemed blasphemous, somehow, but Naruto knew their eyes were on him, so he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Calling on Kyuubi's power also called Kyuubi itself just a little closer – Naruto could feel the heavy presence in his mind grow minutely closer behind the "barrier" Gaara described. It was like using one hand to hold it off and another to pull it forward. Seconds passed as Naruto was lost inside himself, sweating, straining, forcing the beast inside to stay still.

Nothing came.

With a last effort gone to waste, Naruto opened his eyes with a gasp and sat down heavily on the floor. He couldn't… he just couldn't use Nine's power, for Nine itself would surely come with it. Through his sweat-matted bangs he looked up at Gaara, feeling as though he had failed him. "I can't," he said hoarsely.

Jiraiya cleared his throat. "Alright, we know there's difficulties with Nine. We'll try tomorrow. Get some rest now, Naruto – you're off for the rest of the day."

But Gaara said nothing, leaving Naruto with a look he didn't understand as Naruto wordlessly got up and walked out, shaking. It increased with every step he took, until he was stumbling down to his room, leaning against the cold walls for support. The hall was surprisingly empty, but Naruto did not heed this – he was now trying to push back the foul red stream that was coming ever closer toward him. His breathing was laboured and everything was pressing down upon him.

Too close.

He managed to throw himself inside his room, keeping the lights off, taking a tremulous run and falling into his bed. Twisting into himself Naruto grabbed at his head, straining, fighting.

Too close.

Naruto shook his head wildly as if that would dislodge the other presence inside it. He groaned and turned over in his bed, staring at the white white white ceiling. Even in the manufactured darkness Naruto could tell it's original shade, and desperately tried to focus on it as a foothold, a link to reality, to his control. Just think of the white. Think of the white. Don't think about what's coming clo-

But his mind still raged. He had come too close.

Just close enough, Kyuubi purred.

There was no warning. The red stream was overtaking him. Everything was crashing together, falling apart and melting.

No. NO!

Naruto jerked up with a gasp, but it was too late – he had even lost touch with reality. All his attention was in his head, keeping up that barrier he had stupidly broken, forcing it up, keeping IT back, trying to swim out of the stream that was constantly dragging him in -

Too close! Laughed the demon. Then it rushed him, and it was over. The dam broke and the reeking red overtook Naruto's senses, swallowing him and dragging him down, screaming without a sound, falling and vanishing into himself. Before he disappeared completely, Naruto saw Nine as it was inside of him, bubbling to life and growing larger, larger, laughing so venomously the grating sound was all Naruto knew, and then –

There was absolutely nothing else.

It was late at night. Well, one in the morning, read his digital clock. Sasuke scowled and threw the book away, leaning back into his bed, arms folded behind his head. He couldn't concentrate. He kept thinking of that stupid – juvenile – idiot! But… something was wrong, he knew it. Something in the way Naruto hunched forward unconsciously or winced for no outward reason at all.

Something in the air…

He sighed and gave up thinking into it – he'd done that a million times already. Not that the idiot was worth it. Sasuke reached up to click off the light, settling back into the mattress. Sleep. Sleep would help him forget and clear his mind, allowing him to strengthen his dedication. Yes. The sheets rumpled invitingly beneath him. Sleep…

And sleep did take him. With time unknown Sasuke slumbered fitfully, dreaming of shadows and family. It was not comforting, but it was familiar…

Until something else invaded his dreams. One second there was nothing to be known, the next -

There was an evil, almost tangible, a dark red seeping across his mind and covering it, searching every pore and crevice. It grew and grew until it WAS physical, assaulting his senses as if he had been struck.

The unshakeable evil threw him awake. Sasuke's eyes flew open, heart beating wildly. He had no time to ponder because he immediately saw someone leaning over him.

"Hello, Sasuke," Naruto purred. In the darkness Sasuke saw his eyes flash a bleeding red.  


  
To Be Continued


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Soundtrack: Momma Sed – Puscifer, Common Ground – Andy McKee, This Is Not For You – Blood Red Shoes

Naruto came to consciousness suddenly, opening his eyes as soon as he had closed them to see before him a winding dirt road, curving around a mountain. He was but an apparition, a whisper of a memory, so he could not feel dread or biting anxiety - but somewhere the thought floated by that he really, really should. He watched with dead curiousity as the familiar scene began, tinted in red over time and grief.

It was strange, seeing greenery and blue skies, albeit darkening ones, after so long, but this was not what he was focused on. What he followed were the two small figures emerging from the overhanging woods, breaking into the open-air patch of road with toothy grins. One figure was himself, younger, his eyes as blue as the noon sky and his hair a halo of sun, happily talking away about nothing at all. The other figure was – was –

She had brown hair, but it shone the most brilliant orange red in the sun, and Naruto had always gleefully pointed this out to her. He was doing so right this moment, clutching her hand excitedly and pointing to her head with the other. She brought her hand to her hair with a glowing smile, looking down at her radiating strands. The children were so drunk with the company of a friend and the beautiful freedom before them that neither paid much attention to the late hour or the eerie whispers sliding through the foliage. It had taken her a lot of convincing on Naruto's part to travel home through this mountain pass, because the school children always whispered it was haunted, and their parents always spoke in hushed tones about the disappearances -

But Naruto didn't know that. Naruto only knew that he had come this way before, and the forest sounds melted beautifully with the mountain soil. He didn't care for ghosts, and wanted to show this pretty place to his best friend, his only friend…

Even though the colours were fading with the night neither child paid attention to their surroundings. They were innocent and naïve, not at all suspicious of the new litter thrown about the rocky path or the strangely worn grass. They walked on by the large overhanging rock, completely unaware of those watching them until they moved to block their path, impossibly tall, dirty and grinning, reaching for them…

Then Naruto felt the first stirrings of an emotion. It was fear.

He fought to shut his eyes, but he had never been the type to control his dreams. He watched with a new sense of dread as the men circled in, catching the two children unaware, startled and clutching at each other with wide eyes. Naruto whispered something under his breath, over and over, wanting this - dream, memory, reminder? - to be over. He couldn't take what would come next, he couldn't watch what came next.

Naruto finally managed to wrench his eyes shut, blocking out everything. The reddish world was gone, replaced with a hazy black one.

He was whispering, I can't, I can't…

Naruto's breath washed over his face, and though Sasuke knew it was only in his head, it smelled putrid and burnt. Crazy red irises glinted strangely in the darkness, reflecting a burning internal light. Hunched over, predatory, staring down its prey.

He did not move. He did not blink. He did not make a sound. A dangerous silence filled the small room.

"Gahahaha," Naruto cackled hoarsely, straightening. The noise cut through the quiet like a warning. With the movement Sasuke sharply made to sit up and get the fuck away, irises spinning, but Naruto was faster – had suddenly become faster – and was instantly on top of Sasuke, holding him down with his hands and legs. Naruto – but was it? - leaned in again, until their noses were almost touching. The sick reeking breath hit Sasuke's face.

"No," Naruto hissed. "Bad boy. Learn your place, stupid boy."

The proximity of danger sent Sasuke's heart beating wildly, but his expression never changed – he stared straight into the red irises, into the pitch black pupil, searching for any trace of the boy he –

"Naruto is dreaming," he said, in his evil grating voice. "I am in control now."

Sasuke's fears were confirmed. It was Nine.

Apart from obvious physical features, no trace of Naruto remained in his own body. The realization was enough to make Sasuke's breath hitch. But he still did not move. He let his muscles go lax, breathing kept regular, heart slowly steadying. With accusing eyes, he said calmly, rebelliously, "Where's Naruto."

Nine's smile was razor-sharp and wholly disturbing, displaying fearsome canines that definitely weren't there before. His facial scars were stretched and darkened with the action. "I told you, stupid boy. Naruto is dreaming."

Sasuke's face distorted into sheer hatred and for the first time he resisted, straining against the unbelievable weight. "Demon," he hissed, "Bring him back! Bring him back… NARUTO!" He nearly screamed the last bit. He bucked and writhed, trying to bring his legs free to kick off the possessed boy, but –

"Ah ah ah," Nine clucked disapprovingly, his expression twisting with such maliciousness Sasuke couldn't keep his heartbeat from pounding out of control. Sweat beaded on his brow and already his limbs felt sore. Nine gave no quarter and watched his struggles with clear sadistic amusement. "Stupid, stupid boy. Do you want to know why you'll die tonight?"

Sasuke struggled even harder, if possible. His Sharingan spun madly, but it did nothing. Nine merely watched, not stopping him. His eerie grin grew wider and it was like it wasn't Naruto's face at all, where was the sunshine, the laughter? It was just a reeking bleeding mark of evil.

Those eyes watched him closely. "Well I'll tell you," continued that horrible voice that couldn't possibly have originated from Naruto's throat. "Because your death would greatly shatter Naruto's control. His grief would open the gate and he would willingly break the seal." In the darkness Sasuke saw the teeth shine and wondered if he would really die this night. "And then…"

Nine paused, releasing a sigh that burned Sasuke's face. "And then the world is mine."

"Never," snarled Sasuke. "You've already made your first mistake." And with only a tightening of his brow as a warning, he pulled energy from himself, calling it to his hand, gathering the power of a thousand birds…

Nine's eyes narrowed, leaping off the boy because he knew he could not counter the magical attack fast enough at this proximity. He landed on the floor so softly, almost melting into the dark. No, Nine couldn't counter it… but he could absorb it. In that same instant Sasuke jumped from the bed to throw his attack straight at Naruto's heart, but during the second it took to reach Nine Sasuke faltered. That second was all Nine needed to create a void in between them, catching Sasuke's crackling lightning and swallowing it. In the same breath he reached for Sasuke, but Sasuke saw ahead and leaped back. Gritting his teeth he prepared another blast of lightning, concentrating it, but the room was small – Sasuke had nowhere to dodge when Nine dove forward with a speed incalculable even to the Sharingan. Reacting quickly Sasuke launched his last shot of lightning but Nine met it straight on, sweeping his arms out to negate the crackling light. With the same movement he grabbed Sasuke, pulling Sasuke even closer to himself with one hand and straightened the fingers of the other, intent on plunging his claws straight through the heart -

But he had not anticipated the door suddenly being thrown open wide. Sasuke sensed a massive flicker of energy, a strange collision of two separate entities facing off. In a split second Nine snarled and swiftly turned, throwing himself away from both threats, protecting his back from the familiar presence in the doorway.

Dim light spilled into the darkened room, illuminating the figure. "Kyuubi," it hissed.

Nine's eyes slimmed into slits, only a warning growl emitting from his throat as he moved to keep both Sasuke and the hated newcomer in sight.

"Stupid creature," said the new one, standing still. "Did you really think it wise to unveil yourself and attack another in a base inhabited by trained soldiers?"

Nine only growled in response, hunching forward threateningly. The growl kept growing louder in intensity.

"Stupid, stupid fox," said the figure in a mocking, deep voice, striding in slowly. As the darkness clothed him Sasuke finally saw who it was for certain. But Sasuke remained tense, crouching, unsure of who to attack or when. He was exhausted from the two lightning attacks in a row, and waited to see how this played out. The door slammed closed by itself, enclosing them in darkness once again.

"Carrier of Shukaku," Nine's growling rose in intensity. "Meddle in your own affairs."

Gaara sneered, stopping in the middle of the room with his arms crossed. "This is my affair. I am concerned as to the fate of your Carrier and the effect on the mountain." A small evil smile rested on his lips. "It makes you weak, doesn't it?"

"The mountain, and Naruto," spat Nine, pronouncing the word like a curse, "are DREAMING!"

Gaara dropped the smirk but not the intensity. "Yes. And the longer he does, the farther he is from sanity."

Nine's face broke into another horrible sneer. "Better for me."

Sasuke slowly straightened, still tense in a possible attack pose. Gaara raised a hand to halt him. Restrained power crackled within the room as Gaara continued. "No. Have you ever thought, stupid fox, about the opposite? That Naruto may be stronger than you think, and hold onto nothing but keeping you out, in vengeance? Have you ever thought that there are hundreds of Special Forces soldiers waiting outside this room?"

Both Nine and Sasuke stiffened at this. Yes, Sasuke thought. Of course. How could anyone have missed the blatant explosions of raw power happening in this room? Even though he could not sense any energies past his door. Apparently Nine was struck with the same idea, and scowled. But instead of hunching in defeat, Naruto's twisted possessor stood tall and bared his unearthly teeth in a predatory growl. Despite himself the hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck stood up. He had never once forgotten that this was a demon they were dealing with.

"Very well," said Nine, eyes narrowing. "I will let him resurface. But I will be victorious in the end…" He walked smoothly over to Sasuke, catching Gaara and Sasuke off guard. But Nine only leaned in and hissed, "Goodbye, Sasuke..."

Then he closed his evil eyes and collapsed.

Sasuke let him fall, listening to the dull thud of Naruto's – please let it really be Naruto again – body hitting the floor, his heart pounding as it became obvious that Naruto was not going to come around any time soon. Then he took his eyes off him and glanced at Gaara sharply.

The first of his concerns was voiced. "Why didn't Konoha interfere?" He asked darkly, looking to the still-closed door.

Gaara shot Sasuke an unimpressed glance, walking over to gather Naruto's prone body. "Because they're not awake."

"What?" Sasuke jolted and ran to the door, throwing it open. Out in the hall everything was still, cold and desolate. No soldiers with firearms aimed at his door, no soldiers flat against the side of the wall, waiting. "Wha—how…"

He turned to see Gaara carrying Naruto in his arms. Naruto looked sick even in the dim light, his head lolling to the side like a ragdoll. Sasuke scowled. "Drop him."

Gaara had ignored his previous question, but only shot Sasuke a bored stare, still holding Naruto like a bride. The idiocy of the statement did not require Gaara to comment on it, but Sasuke still seethed. He elaborated. "Put him down. Don't carry him like that."

Again, no outward response. Gaara only held Naruto more securely and marched past him out into the hall.

Insulted and angry, Sasuke held back any other comments but followed the two Carriers. He felt relieved, confused, angry, intrigued. He felt like he had stepped out from the tiger's cage mysteriously intact. Gaara did not speak to him, so Sasuke contined after him sullenly as they traversed the empty hall to an open door. Gaara stepped inside and did not bother with the lights. It was Naruto's room.

Sasuke was bewildered and even angrier that Gaara somehow knew where Naruto's room was – it was obviously Naruto's due to the clutter he had miraculously amassed and formed out of mere textbooks and uniforms scattered about, including the odd gadget. All personal rooms in Konoha were kept oddly impersonal, as soldiers owned little at the base, but Naruto's somehow brilliantly reflected his presence.

The angry tick in Sasuke's forehead only grew when Gaara stepped over the hard covers and placed Naruto neatly upon his bed, ignoring the rumpled bedding. There was no tenderness or grace in the action, but it still pissed Sasuke off somehow. Therefore it wasn't surprising all his questions were curt and accusatory.

"So why isn't Konoha aware of this? How could they miss what happened in there?" He resisted the urge to grit his teeth as Gaara again ignored him and moved to shove some clothes off a nearby chair. He stared at Gaara until he answered.

Gaara scowled as he did so. "I am capable of negating energy very easily, and sensing it as well. I woke the moment Kyuubi possessed Naruto, and shielded him until I was sure he had retreated."

"That's a stupid thing to do," Sasuke spat. "What if they would've been necessary?"

The Carrier smirked. It was not an expression that belonged on his face – he looked demented enough already. "Are you saying that you could not have handled yourself?"

Sasuke's fists clenched. But Gaara wasn't done. "Of course you couldn't have. Remember Naruto and I are not mortals like yourself. We carry things alike to gods inside us."

Sasuke was about to retort something, but just then Gaara smoothly sat down on the chair, moving it to face Naruto's immobile form. He knew he was asking a lot of questions, but god damn it - "What are you DOING."

Gaara started looking increasingly annoyed at the interrogations as well, and his look was just about murderous as he replied, "Keeping watch."

Sasuke looked back to Naruto. He was lying casually, but his body was clearly tense. His face tightened in a faint grimace and his mouth was moving imperceptibly. Nine might had vanished outwardly, but there was still a battle to fight within. Sasuke clenched his teeth and kicked some clothes away to make a clean spot on the floor. Without any further talk he sat with his back against the wall and, along with Gaara, kept guard throughout the night. Neither spoke, but both kept their eyes trained on Naruto's grimaces and the sweat sliding down his forehead. In the dead silence and the light from the hallway, they listened as he murmured something over and over.

Naruto opened his eyes slowly, immediately aware of how exhausted he was. He stared at the dark ceiling for a little, glad to be rid of those horrible nightmare and that… that…

Naruto sat up so fast he got light-headed and his vision faded out, forcing him to cradle his head in his hands until the blood came back. He had been fighting off Kyuubi, hadn't he? And he'd… lost. Then what -

"Idiot," came a derisive snort to his left.

He lifted his head to stare at the speaker incredulously. There was some movement to his right as well, and he turned to look. A moment passed.

"Guys, what the fuck?" He frowned at them in turn. What the hell were Sasuke and Gaara doing in his room? And why were they staring at him like that? And god, why did they look more exhausted than he felt?

Sasuke rolled his eyes and got up with a wince, obviously stretching out his stiff joints. He must've been sitting there for quite a while. "Idiot," he repeated. "I was making sure you don't kill anyone."

Naruto twitched backwards a bit. He looked at the clock – five a.m. Looking at Gaara imploringly, he asked, "What… what happened? Did Kyuubi…"

"Took control, yes." Gaara said flatly. "And he attacked Sasuke, but then he willingly retreated inside you. We kept watch in case he decided to resurface."

Naruto moaned, feeling shaky and cold. "Oh, god. Sasuke, I'm –"

Sasuke snorted again and turned away to stare at anything but Naruto or Gaara, looking very irritated with them both. "Whatever. He didn't even hurt me."

Naruto's eyes clenched shut as relief flooded through him. "Thank god. No, thank you guys. You don't know how…" a new thought came to him and he groaned. "Oh, I am in such deep shit."

The following silence prompted Naruto to look up again. Neither Gaara nor Sasuke looked at him. "I am in trouble right? Konoha does know?" he tested.

Sasuke didn't look too pleased when he said, "We have not… informed them yet."

Naruto gaped. Not telling Tsunade and her cronies that he had let Kyuubi slip through and even attacked a Konoha soldier? That was… stupid. Dangerous. Thoughtless. Reckless.

He sighed in relief. "Phew!"

This made Sasuke look at him sharply, but Gaara only crossed his arms, still sitting. "What do you mean, 'phew'?' Sasuke asked harshly. "You're going to tell them today."

"Hell no! Are you kidding?" Naruto bit off angrily. "Do you have any idea of what'll happen then? Konoha keeps me on a leash, Sasuke. They have cameras recording my almost-every-fucking-move. They lie to me consistently! I don't even know what to believe when Kakashi opens his mouth!" He paused to gather his breath, holding a dark stare with Sasuke. "No. They're just waiting for an excuse to cage me up, or, or… I don't know, but they're up to something with Gaara and I."

Sasuke's eyes flashed to Gaara's, then back to Naruto's. He did not seem to approve, but said nothing, so Naruto turned to Gaara.

"You won't say anything either?" He implored.

Gaara looked at him steadily, then finally shrugged a shoulder. "I will not. I am interested as to the motives of Konoha as well."

Naruto slumped forward with relief and cast Gaara a grateful smile. He turned it on Sasuke as well and asked brightly, "Well then. Anyone hungry?"

Activity at the base always ended late and started early, so there was already a steady number of people in the cafeteria. It was a much smaller, relaxing number than the recent crowding, however. Naruto smiled to himself – he didn't even know why – as he loaded his plate with breakfast. His eyes were stinging, his head was throbbing dully, every part of him felt abused and tired, and there was so much stress hanging over his head he was surprised he could think straight… but he was smiling.

"What," snarled Sasuke, looking cross.

"Nothing," Naruto replied and stuck his tongue out. Sasuke made a disgusted face but ignored him then, walking off to a front table quickly, like he was trying to convince the other soldiers he was alone and not being trailed by a grinning blond. It didn't really work.

They sat at a table alone together, with Gaara having stoically declined and made himself needed elsewhere. Naruto didn't know what Gaara did with his days, but he felt the first stirrings of curiousity. Gaara now seemed - not friendlier, please, but perhaps slightly more open. Or at least willing to regard others besides himself, which was a dramatic step forward. Naruto wondered if the mission inside Olympus had anything to do with it. Yeah, probably. Gaara was just repaying Naruto's actions by showing some concern. …So why was Sasuke such a dick to him? Like, an even bigger one than he'd been to Naruto. Sasuke just radiated irritation and hate around Gaara.

Naruto frowned at Sasuke, chewing thoughtfully. The two did not converse as they ate, but the silence felt companionable somehow – much different then yesterday, where a simple word could've made either boy snap. Today, Sasuke had even agreed to eat with him after Gaara had declined, as if Naruto's slip-up (or whatever it was) the night before was completely forgotten. The change was so radical, the boy deserved a medal or something.

Sasuke seemed lost in this thoughts as well. Until he noticed Naruto staring, that is. "What," he said again harshly.

Naruto just grinned. This guy was fun to tease. He flipped at certain things and didn't even blink at others. Gaara was probably just one of those things that set him off. It didn't take much – all you had to do was be a living, breathing organism and Sasuke would probably hate you.

He was chuckling to himself from a mental image of Sasuke glaring at a sea sponge when Sasuke said, quietly, "You should tell them."

Naruto immediately sobered up and the image disappeared. He looked back up, glaring. "Absolutely not."

The other boy looked like he was going to argue, but his face relaxed at the last second and he looked away. "Whatever," he said coolly. "You're just putting everyone here at Konoha in danger, that's all. And don't think no one noticed your leak of energy." Then he took a casual sip of tea.

That struck Naruto rather hard. It was true – he had proven he could not hold Kyuubi back if he was considerably weak. What if it happened again? What if next time, Gaara and Sasuke won't be around to save his ass? Would Naruto really risk the lives of the countless thousands of soldiers here in Konoha simply to give himself some breathing room, some peace of mind?

The answer was obvious because Naruto was still unsure. If he had been a smart, decent person, he would've gotten up and told right away. Instead, he sat there with his answer and his guilt: yes. He would. He would put lives in danger for his pride and his own happiness.

This made Naruto feel even more ill than before, but before he could continue to dwell on it further, a new figure appeared at their table. It was Sakura. She yawned as she settled beside Naruto, cradling only a cup of coffee and a plate of toast. "G'mornin', she said past her long yawn.

"Sakura!" Naruto chirped brightly, just out of habit. He was glad for an interruption.

"Ugh," she replied, her eyes dropping and her expression very crabby. "I hate you. Why do you look so awake?"

"I secrete one hundred percent sheer energy," Naruto informed her seriously.

"There's a bad joke in there somewhere, but I'm too tired to dig it up," Sakura muttered, taking a bite of her breakfast. Sasuke snorted and resumed to pay no attention to them, but Sakura managed a smile for him as always. Naruto sulked. The following silence was comfortable as the cafeteria slowly filled up and their plates were pushed away. Naruto cheerfully thought of anything but the past night, and Sasuke… well, he never knew what Sasuke was thinking. He just sat there, scowling at the table for having the gall to even exist.

Naruto didn't think much of the sound of footsteps he heard approaching the table until they stopped directly behind his chair. He saw Sasuke's eyes look up then narrow right before turning around himself and seeing who it was.

"Oh, Sai. What's up?" Naruto said quickly. He had instantly remembered that Sai was the original third member of Cell Seven, and it hadn't been pleasant. He watched Sakura out of the corner of his eye. She had a fake pleasant smile on her face and nodded to him politely. "Hello, Sai," she said, her hands tightening on her lap.

"Hello, friend. Hello, former teammate." Sai greeted them formally. He said nothing to Sasuke.

Wow. This was going to be awkward.

"What's up?" Naruto repeated, turning his chair slightly to see Sai better. He'd never liked to make others feel uncomfortable or insecure on purpose. Sai's mouth twitched like he had decided against trying a smile at the last moment, and just stared at Naruto instead. "I would like to speak with you," he said, acting as if Sakura and Sasuke were not watching.

"Yeah," Naruto said, a little uneasy, looking around the lively cafeteria. "But, um, later, yeah?"

Sai's mouth opened, but he closed it again. "I understand."

"Catch you later," Naruto clapped Sai on the arm and grinned as Sai turned and walked away indifferently.

As soon as Naruto turned back to his table, two pairs of eyes were on him. "So you met Sai," Sakura said tightly.

"He came to visit me after the mission," Naruto defended. "The guy's not all that bad."

Sasuke snorted. "He is. Watch out for him. He's not what he seems to be."

Naruto frowned.

They dispersed to follow the usual morning schedule, so Naruto went off to the smaller training room to meet with Iruka. Once he pushed through the doors, however, he knew something was up. Iruka's face was slightly pale and his arms were crossed. Before he could say anything, Iruka spoke. "No morning training today, Naruto. Follow me."

Confused, Naruto did. They left again and walked down the long hall toward the centre of Konoha, where Iruka led him to another meeting room. He tried to keep from asking questions, seeing how disturbed Iruka was. The faces of those passing by held no answers, they only nodded politely at either of them and went on their way. They entered the room and Naruto saw the usual faces – Jiraiya and Tsunade – but also some unexpected ones. Neji and Hinata Hyuuga were keeping to themselves at one end of the long table, along with five adults obviously from the same clan. They all sported black or dark brown hair and those eerie translucent eyes. Hinata ducked her head when he looked at her but that Neji kid just stared flatly back at him. Naruto walked past them to approach Jiraiya and Tsunade. They wore worried expressions too.

"What's this about?" Naruto asked, starting to get anxious. "Did something happen to Cell Ten? They've left already, haven't they?" Or… did they know what had happened to him?

Tsunade motioned for him to sit down. "No, Cell Ten is not in trouble. That is not what this is about."

Naruto swallowed. Shit. They knew. Panic rose like bile in his throat.

Iruka and Naruto sat between the Hyuugas and the commanding officers, the chairs scraping noisily in the tense silence. They were apparently what everyone else had been waiting for, so the meeting started. "Hiashi," Tsunade demanded. "Tell us again what you have seen."

Hiashi Hyuuga inclined his head politely and said in a serious tone, "I was on watch for the assignment you have left to us, to use our eyes to watch for the strange occurrence on the radar. At 0540 a shape came into view at approximately 34 kilometers an hour. Further investigation proved that this was a G-35 armoured varied-terrain tank." Hiashi clipped himself off, but it was clear there was more.

Something wasn't right here. Naruto leaned forward with apprehension. This wasn't about Kyuubi. This was about something else, and he had a really, really bad feeling about it.

Tsunade had her hands clasped before her, but they were squeezing until her knuckles were white. "Continue."

Hiashi resumed solidly. "We alerted Defense and kept watch as before. At 0610 the tank had approached sufficiently enough for us to see the symbol painted on all its sides." He paused, and took a breath. "It was the Circling Snake."

Naruto jolted back as if shocked. The Circling Snake. He knew that mark… he'd seen it nearly everyday of his life - engraved in the marble columns, set in the iron gates…

He asked, confused and torn, "What the hell is Orochimaru doing here?"  


  
To Be Continued  



	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Soundtrack: Black Steel – Tricky, Cumbersome – Seven Mary Three, Chaos – MuteMath

He couldn't say when the madness started, not that he cared to delve into whys and hows. As long as he had lived, even through his tragic past which didn't interest him at all, Orochimaru had always worked for himself. He got things his way because of his subtle tugs, his careful puppetry of the people around him. Life was a game to him. The only problem was, everyone lost eventually.

Well, Orochimaru was a terrible loser.

Orochimaru was the kind of man who played his game well. He was in total control. He loved the little things that disturbed others, loved like he loved nothing else striking that reaction of illness showing so plainly on the face of his victim. His psychotic behavior inspired fear because he cultivated it to. The madness came easily to him – and in turn, he loved how easily others fell before him because of it. He didn't mind crushing a few throats or slicing a vein or two to manipulate others. Usually, he didn't have to. He had a gift of peering inside others, of identifying that one factor that perturbed them above all, and using it against them. He cared for few people, and those he cared for were usually kept around for his own benefit. Yes, everything was destined to become Orochimaru's. During games you must sometimes step backwards in order to proceed. He had believed he had been at a disadvantage. Not so. The dice had rolled in his favor.

He was bound to win this game.

They had ordered him to return to T07, but Naruto for once did not bother wasting his breath on rebellion. Instead he gave Tsunade a you-gotta-be-shitting-me stare and stood firm, and she had no time to rebut him. More weird shit was going on, and he'd be damned if Konoha kept any more secrets from him. Plus, he really wanted to know.

That didn't mean he was looking forward to seeing that man's face again.

He grabbed a Browning from a guard and followed into the main hall. Konoha was prepared for Orochimaru's arrival. Naruto heard no announcement but he had no doubt every soldier on base knew of his presence, and like him they stood still in morbid anticipation. From beyond the metal doors there was the faint sound of rumbling, of muted feet and various other sounds. There weren't that many soldiers in the main corridor, only the guards and the important personnel, but the tension manifested itself into a mob. Barely anyone breathed. Everyone had something pointed toward the approaching intruder, whether it was a gun, eyes, or apprehension.

With a low rumble the doors glided open, and a frigid gust of air blew in. The first thing he saw was a guard leading the line, gun held ready. He marched straight to Tsunade. Right behind him was Orochimaru.

Naruto felt a shiver up his spine and some undeniable discomfort as the man of his childhood glided closer. Some of his men walked casually behind him, but Naruto didn't recognize them. At the end of the line were more guards, and before the massive doors closed again Naruto saw a strange vehicle painted all white, with a black symbol adorning both sides. He didn't have to strain his eyes to know what it was. Then a final flurry of snow rushed in and the doors closed with the sound of finality. Silence reigned.

Orochimaru had arrived in Konoha.

Tsunade, flanked by every official and high-rank officer in the entire base, regarded him with cold casual eyes. Orochimaru was wearing his simple artic gear like he would wear a royal cape, and his face was set in his eternal sneer. There was almost a solid line of hatred and distrust between the two. Naruto almost felt like slinking away from the crowd despite his insistence on being here. Orochimaru being here just felt… wrong. Stupidly, he wished the elder man wouldn't see him.

"What a warm welcome," Orochimaru purred, regarding the small entourage. "I see Konoha is as efficient as ever."

Tsunade tilted her chin, almost glaring at him. "Stop your nonsense. Why are you here?"

Orochimaru pretended to look offended but his words could not deny his mockery. "I've barely arrived and you're interrogating me! It was quite a long trip you know, but I was just so anxious to see my God-son. I would appreciate something warm to drink for my men and I."

It was an insult to stroll into a military base and ask for petty comforts. Naruto expected Tsunade to bristle, but she did not budge, ignoring his statement completely. "Tell us why you're here."

Orochimaru looked at her solidly, then shrugged and made to move past her, only everyone with a firearm lifted it and aimed straight for him in unison. Naruto was no exception. He stopped and looked around.

Then his eyes landed on Naruto. It was like the world narrowed.

"Pointing a gun at me, son?" He asked softly, dangerously.

The same old weariness that budded in his stomach every time Naruto spoke to him resurfaced. So he thought he'd be nervous, but his voice did not waver. He said, "All unknown intruders must be apprehended and interrogated until their motives are known. You have not declared your intentions. Sir."

Everyone in the hall waited for Orochimaru's response. His grin grew. "I see they've taught you well."

"Please declare your intentions, sir, so that you may proceed." Naruto said flatly. Inside he was laughing at the craziness of it all, and maybe it was a slightly hysterical laugh. Him, talking down to Orochimaru? Unbelievable! He'd receive a beating for it had he tried it when he was younger.

But on the outside, all the others saw was a calm soldier waiting for a chance to shoot.

"Hm." Orochimaru turned to Tsunade. "I told you. I came to see my God-son, which you've taught to point a firearm at me, and meet with my dear comrades again after so long."

Tsunade was clearly restraining herself from throwing punches at this blatant lie, but she could not refute anything. She couldn't keep him standing there all day either. Tsunade motioned with her hand and the soldiers lowered their weapons - but kept alert. "Fine, but don't think Sarutobi won't hear about this. We better get a real motive out of you real soon. You are far out of line." She breathed in deep. "Defense, get a hold of Sarutobi. You, follow me." She glared at Orochimaru, then turned.

Orochimaru just laughed. Naruto knew he wasn't the only one who got goose bumps when he did.

Like in a procession, most followed. She looked behind her and caught Naruto's eye – with a slight nod of her head Naruto understood he was to keep her company. Most of the line dispersed further when Tsunade entered her guarded office. Iruka, Jiraiya, Shizune and Cell Seven were also waiting inside for them. Naruto's eyes sought out Sasuke then quickly looked away. As soon as he entered, every face was looking into Orochimaru's, and a few flickered to Naruto's. No one showed any emotion, but there was plenty of stiffness in the atmosphere of the room. It suddenly felt much too small, even for its capacity.

Tsunade motioned brusquely for Orochimaru to sit while she did the same behind her desk. He did so as if it had been his own idea, sitting regally on the stiff cushion chair, and smiled at her.

"No bullshit this time. Why are you here."

Orochimaru finally straightened. "To help you."

Jiraiya raised a brow. It was clear from Orochimaru's arrival that there was a bitterness towards him. This was obvious in his tone as he spoke. "…Help us? Like you helped us during the first war?"

The other man smirked. "Like I helped you with Naruto."

Alarm bells went off in Naruto's head. "Excuse me, but what the fuck," he cut in, thinking himself reasonably calm. Everyone turned to look at him.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru all sent him glacial looks that firmly told him to shut up, though Orochimaru's looked more interested than panicked like the others. Everyone else in the room frowned… but not necessarily at him. Sasuke, for one, had an eagle eye on Orochimaru. Naruto was definitely getting an opinion about this later.

They continued as before. "To help us," Tsunade restated slowly. "Why and how would you think that we needed assistance?"

Ah, if Orochimaru's smile was any creepier, evil clowns would tremble in fear. "A little weasel told me."

A few notable reactions took place. Iruka, Kakashi, Sasuke, Shizune, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, among others, all seemed to freeze – then their faces turned to either horror or disbelief. Then they all composed themselves, save for Sasuke. His gaze should've set the room afire by now. Tsunade noticed this, and did not push the subject.

"…I see. And how did you plan on helping us?" She asked.

"Why, I brought my finest vehicle with me as proof that I am prepared to assist you against Olympus. I need only call and countless more G-35 tanks will be at your disposal. Imagine the stopping power and destruction! …Of course, the final strategy has yet to be decided, I presume." Orochimaru smiled again. "I am open to a change of plans, to assist Konoha, my cherished home, any way I can."

There was silence as everyone contemplated his words. The loudest voice in Naruto's head was crying "BULLSHIT!" and he was sure he wasn't the only one. Still, there had been an underlying threat. I need only call, Orochimaru had said. This meant more tanks were probably just out of range of a Hyuuga's eyes, waiting for the word should Konoha provoke Orochimaru. Naruto contemplated the strength of Konoha's structure. Would its walls, for all their protection, survive a direct assault from Orochimaru's army?

Probably not.

So they had to pretend to keep Orochimaru happy or lose an entire base. Naruto's head almost hurt just thinking about the treachery and lies. It was like a fatal game of chess a la Vonnegut.

"Alright. You and your men will be escorted to your rooms. We will discuss this further at a later time." Tsunade's eyes flitted over to Naruto. "Dismissed."

The soldiers filed out first. Naruto was in the first wave, but he stuck around until Sasuke and Sakura got out. "What was that," he hissed to Sakura. She looked nervously to him, Sasuke, and the rest of the exiting crowd and shook her head, so Naruto kept silent. The three of them diverged and relocated in T07. Naruto had the vague impression of having just gotten out of a sea of sharks. Both his comrades looked slightly shaken as well.

As the door closed, Naruto breathed in deep. "Wow."

Sakura sighed as she dropped herself into a chair. "Yeah. Wow."

Sasuke, however, was in no mood to converse. He looked angry as hell. He was like Naruto's scab – Naruto just couldn't leave it alone. "What's up with you?" he asked, frowning.

Sasuke just growled "Nothing. I'm leaving."

"We have to wait for Kakashi," Sakura said worriedly. She looked like she wanted to place her hand on Sasuke's arm to comfort him, but knew he wasn't receptive to that.

Sasuke didn't reply. He just grunted and opened the door with much more force than strictly necessary, leaving again.

It was Naruto's turn to sigh. He let himself sink to the floor, lying down as he gazed at the ceiling. "He's such a girl. He should've been named Sa-sulk-e."

"Shut up," Sakura cut in sharply. "You don't know what's wrong with him."

"What, and you do?" Naruto lifted himself by his elbows to look at her.

She looked torn between telling him and keeping Sasuke's privacy. Before she could decide against saying something, Naruto cut in. "Please. Sakura. This is directly related to me, and I need to know. You heard what Orochimaru said. He 'helped' Konoha with me, somehow. They've been using me since I was adopted, Sakura." He took a breath. "I don't need anymore secrets."

Sakura was quiet. She clenched her hands together, then nodded. "Okay. Well, it's this. You know Sasuke's brother, Itachi?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, how could I forget him. He saved my life."

Sakura sighed. "Yes, and it's caused quite a stir. You see, he's something of a …double agent, or a spy. He worked with Akatsuki for so long that they accepted him as one of them. And in all respects, he is – except he leaks information about their movements and such to Konoha." She smiled tightly. "How else did we know so much about a mountain that is so impenetrable."

Naruto bit his lip. That made his encounter with Itachi inside Olympus make much more sense. "Only – what if he told Akatsuki intel on Konoha?"

She looked incredibly sad at this. "Well, he supposedly never leaves the mountain, only relating information to our messengers. The messengers are trusted soldiers who never relate information back to him – it's a one-way chain. At least, we believed it was." Naruto raised a brow, and she continued. "Do you know what Itachi means, Naruto? The name, I mean."

Naruto frowned. "No, I don't."

Sakura smiled grimly. "Weasel."

Realization struck so hard, Naruto almost staggered despite lying down. He sat up and crossed his legs. "What! You mean, Orochimaru is saying that Itachi told him intel on us?"

"Exactly. Meaning Itachi is triple-crossing us… as far as we know. Obviously we can't be sure if Orochimaru is in league with Akatsuki either."

"And it means the messengers are also unreliable fucking spies. And how'd Itachi get in touch with Orochimaru anyway? Aren't we surveying the hell out of every centimeter of snow around this place? " He knew Sakura had no clue, but still Naruto's blood began to boil. "Damn all this! Why'd it have to get so much more complicated?"

Sakura shrugged sadly. "So that's what pissed Sasuke off – not only is his brother working for the enemy, but he's a traitor all around. I think his family died at the hands of Akatsuki as well, and he can't accept the fact that his brother joined them, even if only to – we thought – destroy them. Then… he turns around and sells us to Orochimaru." Sakura said bitterly. She put her head against her knees and for the first time in Naruto's eyes, she looked weak. It nearly broke his heart.

"Why do people do this, Naruto?" she said quietly. Whatever was left of Naruto's rage instantly turned into an overwhelming desire to protect - he never truly forgot that others had suffered too. "Why do people promote violence and encourage slaughter? What amount of money or bribes could surpass the conscience of being responsible for so much pain?" Her voice was a whisper now.

Naruto got up and walked over to her, sitting down at her feet and resting a hand against her knee. He said softly, "I don't know."

She ignored him. Her back started trembling and sure enough, he heard quiet sobs. "Why… why would someone resist those trying to fucking help? How could someone… how could they…" her voice died into a silent sob.

Naruto closed his eyes and fought off the surge of sympathetic pain. He didn't want to admit that he didn't know, and he didn't want to think about people that were just fucking rotten to the core. So he lay his head against Sakura's and stayed quiet. With a small sigh of sorrow, Sakura collapsed from her chair and reached for Naruto, clinging to him as she cried silently. Her forehead pushed against his shoulder and his leg cramped under her weight but Naruto didn't care, didn't think about their positions – only their pain. He wrapped his arms around her as if trying to protect her from the evils of the world, even when he knew it was already too late.

"We'll stop them, no matter what," he whispered. And he meant it.

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto and Sakura were still alone. Once she had cried herself out, she politely apologized for the wetness on Naruto's shirt, which he brushed off, and disentangled herself. It was not awkward or romantic. Naruto knew he loved Sakura as a sister, and couldn't delude himself anymore. He breathed in deeply and tried not to think about her, or Sasuke, or Konoha at all. But after another ten minutes, Sakura looked a lot better, mainly because she was angry.

"What is taking him so long?" She glared at the door angrily, kicking it. "It only takes, what, five minutes to get here? Damn."

Naruto was getting irritated as well, but he needed a serious break from anger. It showed up way too often lately. "He stayed behind to see Tsunade. Something could've come up."

"Well it doesn't take -" right then the door opened, making Sakura fall silent. It was Kakashi, and he didn't look very happy.

"Where's Sasuke?" he asked curtly.

"He left – you were so late –"

"Well bring him here. We need to talk."

Sakura pursed her lips and nodded. "Yes sir." She quickly dashed out.

Naruto tried to interrogate him. "So what's all this about Orochimaru 'helping' Konoha with –" But Kakashi raised a hand. "Not now," he said sternly. "We have more pressing matters to deal with." Naruto wanted to seethe, because oh sure, being lied to all your life doesn't qualify as important, but again he kept his silence. Something else must've come up with Orochimaru.

Sakura returned shortly with Sasuke in tow. He looked just as happy as he did before – that is to say, not at all. Now that the entire cell was gathered, Kakashi looked them straight in the eyes and said, "We have trouble. Cell Ten was captured."

Everyone's jaw dropped. "What!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. "You mean, inside Olympus?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. It seems that their backup, Cell Six, was apprehended as well. There was only a muddled message transferred for about ten seconds, then it died. We can assume the transmitter or the speaker was killed."

Sakura's face was frozen in horror. Sasuke asked, "We're going in to save them, right?"

Their leader nodded. "Of course. We'll wait one day for any sort of message from Akatsuki, then retaliate. We're thinking this is directly related to Orochimaru's arrival." He paused, letting that sink in. "That means, team, that one day from now is the final assault on Olympus."

Naruto's mouth went dry.

After being driven to the ground in training, they were finally allowed to return to their rooms for the night. But it was no surprise that, despite his weariness, Naruto couldn't sleep. He felt an ailment in his chest that he didn't know how to cure. Getting up quietly, he made his way out of his room and down the hallway, stopping just in front of Sasuke's. He closed his eyes and knocked.

A gruff "what" sounded through the door. Naruto opened it without introducing himself because, hell, Sasuke probably already knew who it was anyway.

Sasuke sat up and glared at him. "I hope you don't make it a habit of intruding into my personal time."

"Don't worry," Naruto waved nonchalantly as he sat himself comfortably at the edge of Sasuke's bed. "It won't be a habit. It'll be an all-the-time thing."

Sasuke scowled. "What, you want more girl talk?"

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. "Hey, drop the assholery for a moment, okay? I need to talk to you."

"I'm not telling you anything about my brother."

"I don't want to know anything about your brother."

"Then why are you here?" Sasuke raised a brow.

"Magic," Naruto answered simply. At Sasuke's irritated silence, he elaborated. "Well, I mean 'energy', but it's pretty much magic, right? Have you ever thought about it? Really, what exactly is it? Where does it come from, and why does it run out?"

Sasuke blinked, processing the question. He slouched forward in thought. "I… don't know."

"I took it for granted up till now. But it works in strange ways, doesn't it?" Naruto leaned back, cradling his head in his interlocked hands. "Only some people have it, and even then they can only do certain things with it. It's almost like it was decided by some greater mind or something, you know?"

Sasuke looked up at him. In the dimness of the room, his eyes were still fiercely bright. His gaze was searching. "Don't tell me you're religious."

"No," Naruto answered curtly. "That's not what I meant. It brings me to my next question though…" he rolled over on his back, kicking his legs in the air like a child. "What are demons?"

"Fallen angels? Or… Nine?" Sasuke asked, frowning. "I don't understand."

"Yeah, kinda like Nine. I mean, what is a demon, technically – a malevolent spirit? A mass of negative energy?"

"Or dark energy in physical form," Sasuke said wonderingly. "Manifested energy so powerful it could control itself." He leaned back against his headboard.

"So there's stuff out there that's powerful – like something powerful enough to manifest inside humans, like Carriers, or something able to possess a mountain. But why is it always evil?" He dropped the thread he was picking and starred into Sasuke's eyes with deadly intensity. "Why aren't there any immaculate or benign energies?"

Sasuke didn't break the gaze. "Maybe there are. Maybe they're just not as powerful."

"Are you saving evil is stronger than good?" Naruto unconsciously leaned closer, almost accusing.

"I…" Sasuke blinked and looked away. "I'm inclined to think so, yes."

"Then why are you here?" Naruto grit his teeth. "Why are you still trying to fight evil?"

"Because…" Sasuke trailed into silence and closed his eyes, drawing his knees to his forehead. "Just because I admit it's true, doesn't mean I have to lie down and accept it."

Naruto felt his anger deflate. Yes, he felt the same. He knew Sasuke was crushed by the latest betrayal on the part of his brother. He felt like embracing Sasuke too, and telling him everything would be alright. But he couldn't, because… because…

Oh, what the hell.

He reached for Sasuke's hand and gripped it tightly. With utmost sincerity, he said, "Everything will be alright. We'll make sure of that."

Sasuke did not protest.

To Be Continued


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Soundtrack: Idle Blood – Katatonia, Day That Never Comes – Metallica, Heaven – I Monster
> 
> Chapter Warnings: Gore, violence.

Naruto woke because his neck was killing him. Also, his legs were boiling hot, but his toes were freezing. He had one moment to wonder why the hell his head and feet were dangling over the bed when the base's morning bell sounded, shocking him upright – then back down with a crack and a groan. Plus, something kicked him. Overall, an awesome start to the day.

"What," he mumbled into the pitch dark room, completely lost. He did not actually expect someone to answer him.

"Get up, idiot," Sasuke growled, and kicked him again.

Naruto jumped up yet again, staring wide eyed at the lamp light that suddenly turned on. Sasuke glared at him from the head of the bed. Naruto himself was draped sideways across it. He gaped.

"Up," Sasuke warned. The bell sounded once more, and Sasuke kicked him again for good measure.

"I – what," Naruto said slowly, sitting upright. "Stop kicking, bastard. And get out of my room."

The other boy wasn't amused, though the evil glare was lessened significantly by the bed hair. "You're in my room, dumbass. Up and out. Now."

"I'm cold," Naruto yawned. "And good morning. Did you know you hog the blankets at night?"

Sasuke nearly kicked him in the face. Naruto rolled off the bed in time and got up, stretching. "Ugh. Cold."

"If you had gone back to your room, you wouldn't be," Sasuke said bitterly. He was also getting out of bed. He made a rough attempt to put his sheets in order, then grabbed a clean uniform to take to the showers.

"I dunno why I didn't," Naruto yawned again. "At least my clothes are still on, so that's a plus. Oh well. See you at breakfast, sweetheart."

He dodged out the room before even finishing his sentence, because sure enough, it sounded like someone had just subjected that poor wall to a beating. Naruto chuckled to himself as he plodded back to his room, raising a hand in greeting to the countless tired soldiers he passed on his way. If Sasuke had really meant to hit him, he would have. Naruto grinned wickedly. He sped inside, grabbed his own gear, and headed to the showers, cleaning up fast, ignoring the dread and exhaustion growing and fermenting, ready to tear the house down if he let them in. Instead, Naruto gathered himself and, with a small inner sense of contentment, remembered the warmth of Sasuke's hand in his. He rolled the memory around tenderly and seared it into his neurons.

The men's showers were large because they had to be. An efficient bathhouse, the humid place normally crowded with jostling bodies, jeers and puddles was more serious today. There were just as many people – too many, Naruto grimaced as he stepped aside to let some naked burly guy pass, it was always a sausage fest – but the running water sounded louder today because no one was talking. He had expected more activity than usual, actually. More laughter and mockery to make up for the silent apprehension. But no, in the end, every man and woman on this base was a professional. They treated this day with the seriousness it deserved. Today, this moment in time, held a sort of sacred reverence to it. The reason why was obvious. Today was the culmination of all their efforts, their blood and their wounds. This time tomorrow, they might not live to return to wash the stink of evil from their bodies. (Even more terrifying, the ghost in his head was completely silent, and Naruto did not dare search for him…)

If he was to live through this, he had to think clearly. He had to be ready, to make things work for him. Let no one ever say Naruto was not proactive.

The cafeteria was slightly cheerier. No cake and balloons, too bad, but at least it didn't feel like walking into a morgue. Not all the soldiers were tense – some were downright arrogant and positive. The attitude alone was enough to ease the tension. For a second, Naruto was proud of these nameless soldiers, and felt love for them as if they were his family.

Just to think, weeks ago – mere weeks! – he had hated the very cement foundations of this place, down to its very last wire. Did he still?

A tendril of doubt still haunted his mind…

"Naruto," A voice called to him. He blinked and turned to see Iruka smiling softly. Naruto's heart thumped heavily, as if he hadn't seen Iruka in years. Yes, they were his family, treating him with a brand of love he had never experienced before. Smiling back, Naruto grabbed his food and followed Iruka to their table. Throughout the crowd of the immense area, nearly every name he could match to a face was there. TenTen, Lee, even Gaara. Some who saw him waved. Naruto waved back and tapped the seat of the table with his thigh. Sasuke, his back to him, shifted over slightly so there was just enough room for Naruto to squeeze in beside him. Naruto's elbow brushed Sasuke's arm as he reached to eat, and the warmth almost made him lightheaded. There was no song in his head, only the rush of his own blood. The entire table ate without speaking.

He had almost gotten used to the silence when he overhead speaker system came to life, and everybody straightened slightly.

"Attention soldiers," the voice began. It was not the standard even-voiced female announcer, but a low grating of an elderly male. As the words dissolved inside Naruto, a feeling of warm curled inside him. He pressed his arm against Sasuke's, who sat listening just as still. "No. Brothers and sisters." There was a pregnant pause, a low intake of breath. "We have known that this day would come… and today we embrace it. Today… we wage a silent war to secure the safety and well-being of the entire world. Silent, but not unknown. We will know, and our loved ones will know, that we fought – won - for them. There will be no mistakes, no doubts. We are Konoha, and today we reach our full power and embrace our destinies. Brothers and sisters, we will win, because I, Sarutobi of Konoha, have raised you to know love and to know hope. We have the hope, the love, the strength and the will to win. Brothers and sisters, I love you one and all. Your cell is your family, and they love you as well. Remember we are no longer one individual, but one supermassive force and we know no limit. We move as one and act as one and We. Will. Win."

The voice faded out.

Naruto's throat felt frozen, so he could say nothing. No one, not in the entire base, said a word. It was startling when the VA came on again.

"Brothers and sisters," said the voice of Tsunade. "This is your Chief Commanding Officer. You heard our leader. There will be no mistakes today. All personnel head to your assigned duties immediately. Intelligence and Research in C14. Security Command in E28. Attention, all pedestrian gates will be locked and barred. Cells meet at your assigned location. Complete pre-op training and receive your mission assignment. CCO, Out."

But before Naruto could clear out, Sasuke caught his arm. As he did, Sai stepped from the crowd and stood before Naruto as well. Sakura gave them all an eyebrow-to-hairline look and left, looking exasperated.

"Uh – hey," Naruto said, clearly confused.

"Naruto," Sai inclined his head. "If you could follow me? I have something of importance to tell you."

Sasuke, almost imperceptibly, seemed to tug on Naruto's arm – which he hadn't let go, what the hell – to pull him away from Sai. His dagger eyes were trained on Sai's. Naruto looked back and forth between them, worried. Damn it, this was not the time for this.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry we couldn't talk last time – uh, Sasuke? I know I have two arms, but I'd really like this one back."

The mess hall was starting to empty out. Sasuke, never looking at him, finally dropped Naruto's arm. Naruto felt guilty for some reason. He shot him an apologetic look. "If you can wait, we'll be really quick."

Sasuke turned his dark gaze to him. There was something in his expression. He nodded darkly. "Hurry the fuck up."

Naruto rolled his eyes and stomped away with Sai in tow, until Sai took the lead and led him somewhere less occupied. Some office of some sort, off the main hallway. Naruto looked him expectantly.

The weird boy gave Naruto another one of those unsure looks, but more because he wasn't sure what to twist his face into. Eventually, he went for neutrality. "Your parents."

His stomach nearly dropped. Swallowing thickly, Naruto replied, "Yes?"

"I just thought you should know – I found some remains of their files. Not entire ones, but mentions of them in others. I apologize I have no solid proof, but if you take me at my word, I can tell you that your parents were named Kushina and Minato Uzumaki, both operatives of Konoha base, deceased."

It was – just syllables, vowels, letters. Names. So small and unimportant. Yet it was more than Naruto had ever known about his birth. He closed his eyes and rolled the words around his mind. Minato. Kushina. The words sounded like home.

He eventually found his voice again. "Did you find out how they - what happened to them?"

Sai shook his head. "Not a mention, not even a 'classified'."

"Anything else?" Naruto asked quietly.

"They were both in Special Forces. That is all I could gather."

So they had strange abilities as well. Even though he didn't know much, and it didn't prove anything, Naruto felt marginally less like the freak he had believed himself to be up until joining Konoha. His parents had been playing outside the laws of nature too. It made him feel a lot better, somehow.

He looked back at Sai with wet eyes. His smile was the most sincere he could remember giving for a long, long time.

"Thank you."

Sai shifted awkwardly. "You are welcome, my… my friend."

There was a bit of silence.

"Well, we should head back. Are you one of the away cells?" Naruto started toward the door.

"Yes, though my mission is different from yours. I do not assume I will be seeing you anytime soon."

That made Naruto pause. "Ah," he said. What did that even mean? "Well, uh… good luck. And many thanks. I won't even ask how you got that info, but… thanks. You're a great friend." He said so with another honest smile, and left the room with a blushing Sai behind him.

He hurried back towards the cafeteria, grateful to see Sasuke still there, leaning against the doors expectantly. Sasuke caught sight of him and looked around, probably for Sai, and seemed relieved when he was nowhere to be seen. Naruto clapped him a hard one on the arm. "Fear not, darling, and abate your jealousy, for I have returned!"

He dodged a swing, righting himself instantly. Bah, Sasuke didn't even try. Instead he shot Naruto a questing look. "What did he want?" He said, almost with poison.

"Just my babies, why?"

Sasuke's face screwed up almost comically, reaching out fast to punch Naruto on the shoulder.

"Ow! Jesus, what do you want?"

"Kind of a bad substitute for a dark alley," Naruto mused dryly. "But add some garbage cans and a drunkard and we're all set." Sasuke ignored him as they padded silently through the emptying corridors. Naruto wasn't totally kidding – with every second they were more and more alone. Technically, they should be getting on their way as well. Technically, they had a mission to undertake. Technically, they were already late to the mission brief. But honestly, when Sasuke said he had something to give him, Naruto would be a fool to say no.

They stopped somewhere unimportant – all that mattered was that no one else was around. Naruto was not nervous but he wondered. Surely Sasuke wasn't going to try to kill him. Really, where would he stash the body? The blood tracks on the floor would be suspicious.

He wanted to say as much to Sasuke, but that would be babbling. "So what is it?" He said. Damn, did Sasuke look uncomfortable. Naruto almost grinned. "What, going to kiss me?"

Sasuke's face stiffened. Foot in mouth, foot in mouth, Naruto winced. Shut up, this is important. "Sorry. I mean. Um."

"No," Sasuke said. He looked tired still. "I…" He stuck a hand into his right pocket and procured something clenched in his fist. "This. It's yours."

And he opened his fist. It took Naruto a moment to register what lay in Sasuke's palm. When he did, he hissed in breath between his teeth.

"Where did you get this?" Naruto asked, keeping his voice calm. He stretched his hand to recover the item – Sasuke dropped it there slowly, almost reluctantly.

"I found it."

"Yeah?"

Sasuke didn't say anything.

"Sasuke," Naruto waited.

"I don't know why I didn't return it before," the other boy said. He looked – agitated? Sad? Emotions were hard to classify on this guy – weird to be even admitting any fault. But it was a truth with no alternative, no possible lie. Naruto tightened his grip on the necklace.

"I found it as we chased you back in Olympus. It was covered in blood, you must have fallen over it when it came loose. I picked it up to clean it. I had every intent to return it to you as soon as possible." He lifted his chin. He did not clarify any further.

Naruto just stared at Tsunade's necklace, the fine chain slivering against his rough skin. It shone faintly with an inner cerulean light. If asked, he could never explain why he felt as if something precious had been returned to him.

Naruto wordlessly lifted it to reattach the necklace around his neck. It fell against his skin heavily. Sasuke's dark eyes were on his own, not the necklace. Naruto opened his mouth to thank him, but words did not come. Instead, he tucked the pendant under his clothes and brushed past the other boy, calmly walking back to his cell. The chain nearly burned his skin.

The garage was in the throes of the final departure. A long line of impressive vehicles occupied the majority of the area, diverging for protocol security checks by Security and final adjustments, then slowly gearing out into the white outside gloom. Naruto noted the missile-loaded Humvees were nowhere in sight – doubtlessly already gone.

After grabbing his outwear gear he rejoined Sakura and Kakashi, and he knew Sasuke wasn't far behind. He could feel the guy's presence behind him like an open fire.

Due to the packing of the area, they had to stand closer to each other to make room for the traffic and to be heard over the cement echoes. Naruto noticed a hefty silver crate resting by the tires. He would have been confused as to their contents if it weren't for the large 'CAUTION – BIOHAZARD' and various risk level stickers adorning it. He prodded it with an outfitted boot.

"X-5 binary chemical bombs," Sakura started, though she sent Sasuke a concerned look. "Essentially a grenade loaded with a gas that -"

"I know what it is," Naruto said rather curtly. He finished clipping on the cartridge belt and pulled on his hood. "I suggested it myself." Binary chemical weapons were weapons of war where, basically, two diluted precursors of the intended agent were kept in separate compartments, mixing once fired as the compartments unsealed, allowing the normally much too toxic substance to be handled and transported until use.

Sakura's regarded him for a moment. "Well then, I assume you've missed the mission brief? When you went off to do – whatever it was?"

"Enlighten me."

While they loaded up the weapon crate and stocked the car with firearms, Sakura did. "Leaving now at 0900, we should arrive at Gate 26 of Olympus at 1030 hours. At 1100 we detonate the X-5 bombs and clear the area. No soldier is to reenter until 1130 to make sure the gas has sufficiently sunk and dissipated. Intelligence has succeeded in constructing a map from the datachips inside the labyrinth, so our next task is to locate and infiltrate the core. Our cell is assigned to the second assault, backing for first and Recon. They are charged with located the members of Akatsuki – we are charged with annihilating them."

"No prisoners?"

Sakura shook her head. "The orders are to leave no enemy alive."

A fight to the death.

Well, Naruto thought with a sardonic smile, it's not like I didn't know that already.

"And what's to be done with the mountain when it's - cleared? Since it's alive and all."

"We evacuate and destroy it. All the firepower we have - the missile tanks are already on their way."

Something in him jolted at the imagery of the smoking, crumbling mountain. It was not his own emotion, and he could not classify it.

"Time to go, children," Kakashi said.

Cell Seven piled in and sat, idling in line until they were clear for departure. A sense of finality was in the air. Naruto thought of Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune, Shikamaru… where were they? Would he ever see them again? Come to think of it, what about Gaara? If Naruto was ordered to enter Olympus, doubtless Gaara had not been granted the same. He frowned. Not much good had come form their last little trip. But then… if not fighting, what good was Gaara? What good was Naruto?

Something caught Naruto's eye. Without stopping to think, he leaned over Sasuke and handled the door open. Ignoring the protests, Naruto yelled, "HEY! Old lady!"

Sasuke stiffened, and the woman turned immediately. "WHAT! Little brat!"

Naruto waved her over. She approached – it's not like the line was moving, their check point was a good distance away – and peered inside curiously. Secretly, he was glad to be able to see her again.

"Where's Gaara?" He asked, mindless of Sasuke's form under him, frozen.

"Assigned to another cell." At Naruto's look, she explained. "We are risking his reentry because there is no alternative. The advantage of two Carriers inside Olympus largely overtakes the disadvantage of Guards at your heels. Besides, your little venture will take care of them."

He let his voice drop lower. "And Orochimaru?"

All of Cell Seven waited. Tsunade shook her head. "He is not under my jurisdiction, I cannot contain him. He's on his way out too, but we've got hawks watching. If he tries anything, Jiraiya and I will be on within moments." She waved to where the man was, checking something over somewhere else. "There's not much he can do, in relation to the mountain and our own forces out there. In case he tries anything, the base is also on red alert. We'll be handling orders from base, it's unwise to handle all communications and commands in the warzone." Naruto could tell this didn't please her. It made him a bit proud that the leader of these children was not a woman who lacked courage.

"Okay," Naruto nodded. Finally, with rocks in his throat he asked, "Kiba?"

"Don't assume, Naruto. We have nearly all of Recon in there. He and his cell will be found before further action against Olympus can proceed." She raised her arms to motion at the entirety of the base and looked at him straight in the eyes. "We do not leave our own."

-we do not leave our own-

Then why, upon speaking those words, did she look so sad?

Naruto lurched back when Kakashi finally got through the vehicle checks, freeing Sasuke from his extreme proximity. He shouted a goodbye – not for the last time, he told himself – and slammed the door shut, reseating himself. Belatedly, he realized he had completely forgotten to tell Tsunade that her necklace had not been lost. But then someone waved them through and a grey light overtook the artificial yellow one – there was rumbling, a dramatic decrease in noise – and they were out.

Wiping the blood from his face, Orochimaru leaned back in his seat. "Where are they?"

"One kilometer, seven o'clock, and one point six kilometers at one o'clock, sir." Kabuto said, consulting the thermal radar from the navigator controls.

"And the base?"

"We are now five point six kilometers away, sir. Commence?"

"Yes." Orochimaru smiled and patted the cheek of the dead Konoha operative beside him, his eyes open and glassy. Bubbling blood leaked from his lips, fingers far from the radio he had not been capable of reaching before alerting the base. Orochimaru himself had honored the hawk with his dagger twisted in the man's trachea, dug in so far that it had severed the man's spinal cord. That would teach Konoha to spy on him, though it would have been silly not to try.

Now to take care of the vehicles behind and in front of them.

The Circling Snake tank was outfitted differently than Konoha standards. One such alteration was the rear thermal-seeking rockets, specifically designed to launch in low temperatures. They were cloaked, of course, since Orochimaru had anticipated the vehicle checks. The heat of the expulsions would give them away immediately, but travel fast enough that the Konoha vehicle behind them would not be able to retaliate with their own frontal missiles in time. They could not launch front and rear rockets simultaneously, so it was a gamble that the vehicle in front would not alert Konoha before their own fiery demise. Orochimaru counted on the human survival instinct to fire back or attempt to dodge the missiles instead of radioing in. They couldn't do both at once, not within the mere seconds it would take for the rocket to find them.

Then they would be free to do as they please. Orochimaru sighed contentedly as he watched the white abandon whirl past the windows. Oh, he'd enjoyed the hatred in Tsunade's gaze, the panic in Naruto's. His visit had been necessary to drop off his agents to infiltrate Konoha, but seeing the faces of his past comrades certainly was an additional treat.

He needed Naruto alive, and that Gaara as well. They would be his soon. He was almost aroused with anticipation. What a glorious opportunity, to destroy Konoha once and for all and obtain the power of the two strongest Carriers in the same swoop! As for the mountain itself, Orochimaru was not fool enough to try. He had a theory as to the origins and intent of the mountain, but if they were true, he had no chance of harnessing that power for himself – wisest to refuse it it's children and give himself time to research into Olympus' demonic origins. He'd let Akatsuki and Konoha wipe themselves out, then step in to reap his reward.

Behind him, Kimimaro and Juugo sat motionless. Their own reason for existence approached, as they would be the key to capturing the Carriers. It was almost too easy.

Kabuto turned on the noise emissions, efficiently shielding them from probing signals. They were now invisible to the base.

He felt a lurch run through his seat, and through the noise of the vehicle and the hushed silence of the worsening blizzard, he heard the muffled explosion of the first target. The color of death reached even him, the flare of light illuminating the landscape for one second. He pretended he heard the boiling of human blood, the blackening of human flesh, the cooking of the bone marrow, pierced by sizzling metal. Silent screams ripped from throats. Neurotransmitters interrupted, synapses firing to no avail - then darkness. Delicious.

One point two seconds later, the front vehicle also flipped and disappeared into a ball of black fire. Kabuto kicked the accelerator, fighting through the abominable snow. They passed the chunk of burnt metal, sizzling violently in the clash of temperatures. Blown glass and shattered remains disappeared immediately in the enveloping white. Konoha was doubtlessly already aware of what had happened due to the lineup's radio silence. No matter – there were many reasons they could not pursue him.

They drove through the white, circling widely around Olympus. A few leagues off the rest of his army approached. Perhaps Tsunade and Jiraiya, or even Sarutobi, had anticipated his interruption – but what could they do?

Nothing. Victory would be his.

Kabuto broke him out of his reverie. "A problem, sir."

"What is it?" Orochimaru hissed.

A dark mass circled overhead.

Tsunade cursed, violently sifting through the radar readings. Vehicles umber eighteen and number one hundred and seventy were silent, and Orochimaru's tank was inexplicable gone from the "sight" of their nearby towers. The agent accompanying the vile man had missed his check-in, having gone silent three minutes ago. They had detected two flares of spontaneous heat in sector ten, the closest to Olympus, as soon as eighteen and one hundred and seventy had gone quiet. Tsunade would have to be an idiot to not know what had happened. Somehow, they had missed a powerful weapon hidden in Orochimaru's equipment.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. No doubt Orochimaru would bring back-up, though she had no proof. Towers 82 through 98 were out, doubtlessly purposefully destroyed to prevent them from detecting anything suspicious. Those towers were in sector twenty, technically in the "rear" of Olympus, if Konoha was in the front. So her former comrade intent to circle around to the back.

She couldn't send more men to deal with them, she needed a substantial defense within Konoha. There was no point in sending cells to blindly scope out Orochimaru either. They'd just have to issue orders for soldiers around Konoha to deal with the new arrivals and to apprehend Orochimaru immediately. But he'd be a difficult opponent.

Tsunade breathed in deep. She knew what he was after. She couldn't have contained him inside Konoha, and she couldn't intercept him, but she could meet him and end his vile intentions once and for all.

She called for Jiraiya and turned to face Sarutobi. The aging man was not by any means weak. Dressed in complete severe black, the powerful man was still very powerful. He had arrived not long ago to oversee the final battle.

"I'm going out there," she said.

Her superior and former mentor sent her a vague look. His face was lined with scars and wrinkles, like a stern father. "I know you are."

Tsunade waited. Despite Orochimaru's path in life, he, Jiraiya, and herself had once been a cell of their own, under Sarutobi. Their mentor had always despaired after Orochimaru, but… would he so freely allow his protégés to kill one another?

But he said - "Go. I will handle things here."

Tsunade sent out a few orders, and without looking back, she went.

Naruto, she thought, I'm coming.

There were lots of emotions running through Naruto, and plenty of thoughts to invade his brain. His cell was quiet, eyes strained towards nothing at all. He was so full of everything, confusion, excitement, fear, apprehension, confidence… God. He couldn't even keep himself together. Naruto forced himself to channel a Vulcan and suppress his emotions. It wouldn't do to be compromised just because of his own wild monologues in the middle of battle. So to clear his thoughts, he did the only thing he could – he stared at Sasuke. He could pretend he was looking out the window, even though there was one on his other side… whatever. He didn't really care what Sasuke thought about his strange behaviour. Naruto's fingers itched to feel Sasuke's in his again. He felt as if he'd made some progress in his relationship with the pessimistic boy, even though he was still reeling from the necklace ordeal. He didn't even want to think about that, so he focused on Sasuke's presence. Sasuke was always warm.

Naruto almost laughed to himself. Man, that was too gay. He wasn't homosexual or anything. Just. Sasuke-sexual. Or whatever. The guy drove him nuts. See: every interaction between them, ever.

He was studying the smooth planes of Sasuke's cheekbones – Sasuke, if he noticed the attention, did not react - when a dark lump in the distance attracted his wandering attention. A sense of terrible apprehension filled him.

"Hey," he said. In the silence of the car, it was loud. "Hey," he said again urgently. "Guys. Something's over there."

Behind the wheel, Kakashi shifted. "A Guard?"

"It's not moving," Naruto said, eyeing the mass as they rolled by. "We have to go check it out."

Sakura leaned forward to look at him. "And if it's a Guard, provoke it to attack us? Smart."

"Kakashi, sir," Naruto repeated, ignoring the girl. "Please."

"Hm. Naruto's on to something. I have a bad feeling about this." He heard the leader speaking into the radio. The connection was weak. "Base, this is Cell Seven. Unidentified object at eight o'clock, relative point two kilometers. Permission to investigate."

The response was immediate. "Cell Seven is destined for arrival in one hour."

"We have time to spare."

There was silence as the communications officer consulted someone on the matter. He returned. "Permission granted, report back. Make it quick."

"Roger."

Kakashi started to turn the vehicle around, as fast as he could given the obstruction of the snow.

Sasuke said nothing. He, like everyone else now, had their eyes trained on the questionable object in the distance, visible even past the gale of snow. Even if it was a Guard, it was best to face it so that they would not be caught from behind. If it wasn't… well, what else existed in this desolate place?

They approached with caution. As they did, it became clear what the object was. Dread sunk into Naruto's stomach.

Through the snow piling around and over it, it was clearly a Konoha Humvee. The front passenger door was open, and the sides of the titanium metal were bashed in and scratched. Snow accumulated inside, not just from the open doors, but from the roof. Twisted sheets of metal were visible, and a piece of ripped cloth twitched, caught on the sharp protrusion.

Kakashi stopped the car and immediately secured his goggles and facial coverings. "Take the safety off," he said, referring to their firearms. "Sakura, you and me watch the skies. Sasuke, go see. Naruto, watch him." Then they quickly emptied out of the car. Kakashi and Sakura kept close to the vehicle, and Sasuke and Naruto approached the wreckage and split up to cover all sides.

Peering inside, it was clearly empty. The roof looked like something had repeatedly struck it until it pierced through, judging by the many marks and gashes. Naruto breathed out shakily. Where were it's occupants?

He had his answer almost immediately. Trudging through the deep snow, his foot landed on something definitely not crunchy. He stepped back and began to clear the area as best he could – as he did, he clearly saw the red tint of the snow.

It was a human body. As he moved aside the snow, he felt the first stirrings of nausea. It was an incomplete human body. It had no head.

"I found something," He called out to the others. They came closer, and Naruto pushed back his sickness.

The cut was clean, like something had sliced through the neck in one go. The clean cut allowed Naruto a view of the severed spine and muscle – most of it was covered by the darkened snow, thankfully. Thick lumps of stuff Naruto refused to identify leaked out from the flimsy shield of skin. Almost everywhere around it, the snow was red, having absorbed a good amount of the lifeless liquid. The outwear gear of Konoha soldiers was also dyed red from the blood and snow. It was still marginally warm, enough to melt some of the snow around it. That was sickening in and of itself. The limbs had frozen in a contracted position, clawed, unnatural…

His cell took the sight silently. Sakura bent over to retrieve something not far away. "I found his gun." She wiped it and studied the AK-47. "Safety off…" she opened it to check the ammo. "No bullets left."

Whatever had attacked this vehicle, the dead soldier had emptied all his bullets into it. Had it died?

"Anything else?" Kakashi asked over the blizzard. "Look for the other occupant – there's no way this soldier would have been out alone."

Sasuke and Naruto began to strategically check the perimeter of the vehicle, looking for any abnormalities in the area. Soon enough, Sasuke found the partner. No arms. Same clean cut, same glistening tissue, same bloody frame in the snow. This one had kept his head, at least, but Naruto wished he hadn't – his facial gear had been ripped off. The whiteness of the face, the shine of wetness in the mouth, the glistening teeth… did not even compare to the expression on the soldier's face. Naruto turned to look somewhere else. They didn't find his gun, but did notice his knife pouch was opened. So he'd been in close enough contact to stab whatever it was that had attacked him. God, that must have been terrible… Naruto recalled his own close encounters. It must have been a Guard, no doubt, but where was it? Despite their search, there was nothing else in area. And it had attacked from the roof…

Naruto looked the skies, ignoring the pelt of snow. A Guard capable of flight would explain why they had not been recognized by the towers. The existence of a creature capable of functioning up high, in low concentrations of oxygen, would not surprise him. Not when Akatsuki or Olympus was involved.

"Regroup," Kakashi called. "We're done here."

Naruto was glad to leave the carnage behind. He shivered. He felt so exposed in this dangerous environment – he'd be almost glad to be inside Olympus. At least there, there would be walls.

They climbed in the Humvee, gratefully cutting off the whip of the weather. They managed to start it again after some tense moments fighting against the barricade of snow. Kakashi radioed in as soon as he could.

"Cell Seven to base. Object identified - Konoha vehicle number thirty-three."

The other side came to after a moment. "Indeed. We lost connection with them twelve minutes ago. Thirty-three was a team of four. What else did you find?"

"Two soldiers dead, we suspect aerial Guard attack - the roof was pierced through. Due to marks on the vehicle and smooth detachment of limbs and neck, it was possibly by a bird-like creature, noted beak and talons. No sign of the last two."

Another bout of silence. "Alright, it's logged, we have your coordinates. Proceed to your destination. We will alert Support to keep watch for winged Guards. If engaged, clear out of the vehicle immediately. We will dispatch more missile power to deal with the situation." There was a pause. "Your discovery is unfortunate, but it's a good thing you saw it. At least we have more warning now. Base, out."

No one said anything afterwards. But Sasuke and Sakura, seated by the windows, shifted to have a better view of the sky. The message was clear. If the Guards were out, then Akatsuki probably knew of their arrival. Naruto closed his eyes and pressed against his chest, feeling the warmth of the necklace there. He forced himself to think of nothing, not of Sasuke, not of the two missing bodies, not of their mission. He delicately tasted the names of his parents in his mind.

They did not come across any Guards.

Finally, they arrived at Olympus. Whatever he had thought, Naruto was not ready to see the treacherous place again. In the distance he saw small shapes moving, knowing other cells had arrived as well. They dispersed through the landscape, ascending the giant mountain and locating their Gate. Cell Seven cleared the vehicle and grabbed their weapons. Kakashi took the X-5. As they began the trek towards the ominous peak, Naruto again felt the unique pull, coming from deep within himself. He was not so foolish as his last visit – he knew something was attracting him toward the mountain. Something wanted him closer.

And Nine had been eerily silent…

They proceeded to wade through the snow, toward the looming mountain, and after a good amount of time, made it past terrain level two. Eventually they zeroed in on their Gate, number 26. It was 1051. They had nine minutes to assemble the weapon.

Kakashi gave Sasuke his AK-series gun and cleared a place to put together the X-5 projectile, opening the case. The two metal components slid into specific chambers and an outer shell was closed over the overall compartment, attached to a long projectile assortment. It had a grip and trigger similar to a gun. It looked a massive hybrid of a grenade and a rocket launcher. Kakashi delicately handed the dangerous weapon to Sakura, and took out from the case a large sort of tarp, though much thicker and with weighted ends. A sort of rudimentary, nonporous shield, in case the X-5 gas spread back outside.

It was 1056.

They cleared the opening of the gate and Kakashi settled himself down with the weapon at the slim entrance, like a sniper ready to fire. Naruto stood by with Sakura as they held the shield and Sasuke hunched ready to grab the weapon from Kakashi's grip, letting Kakashi get up so as to drop the shield as soon as possible. It should not expand that fast, but to not be prepared in case it did would be foolish.

It was 1058.

There was nothing to say. From his position, Naruto regarded Sasuke. The boy looked back at him. Wish a twist in his stomach, Naruto suddenly wished he had thanked him for returning the necklace, no matter why Sasuke hadn't done so earlier.

It was 1059.

At every possible opening to the labyrinth of Konoha, every cell was situated like them. All waiting, ready for the first phase of the final attack to begin, counting the seconds, until…

It was 1100.

Kakashi fired.

He swiftly got out of the way as Sasuke grabbed the emptied shell, letting Sakura and Naruto drop the shield. It caught on the jagged edges of the gate and held. They listened, straining for any sound at all, but over the padded hoods, the blizzard, and the distance the gas had been projected, there was nothing. Everywhere around the mountain, he knew, other cells were doing the same thing.

They looked at each other. Naruto felt another pull, another sensation of being torn in different directions. He crouched on the snowy slope, panting hard. His warm breath moistened his face, and sweat cooled at his hairline, but he still felt distinctly cold. Still, no one said a word.

An eternity later, it was 1130. The gas would have dissipated enough for human activity by now. Kakashi shouldered his firearm, waved them in, and dropped to his elbows and knees, disappearing into the gate.

-we do not leave our own-

The war had begun.

  
To Be Continued


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Soundtrack: The Last Firstborn – Celldweller, Propane Nightmares – Pendulum, Venice Rooftops – Assassin's Creed II OST
> 
> Chapter Warnings: Violence.

Naruto straightened out as soon as he'd cleared the tunnel, his upper arm gripped by Kakashi who tugged him up – their war gear was so heavy. Then Sakura was emerging and it was his turn to help her up, followed by Sasuke. Without a word they fell into formation, Kakashi leading with Sasuke holding the back. The eerie luminescence of the labyrinth was still present, but so with it was a stillness. The knowledge that thousands of soldiers were crawling through the icy walls this very second didn't seem to help the sense that the giant mountain was holding its breath.

The way was narrow, and Naruto felt sorry for the cell that was assigned to the gate he'd come through previously. He supposed Tsunade and Intelligence would have sorted that out, though. Naruto tried not to fidget, forced himself to quiet his loud nature. They continued through the maze, Kakashi surveying the readouts. For ten minutes they walked until arriving at a fork.

"Right," Kakashi said.

Checking the corner and finding it all clear, they went further. With nothing to alarm them, Naruto had time to avoid any menacing thought and focused on the near translucence of the ice walls, imperfect and cruel. Deep within them lay the most hideous abominations and their masters… Okay, maybe he wasn't good at ignoring these things.

Something prodded his back less than gently – the nozzle of a sniper rifle. Naruto turned his head slightly and hissed, "What."

"Focus," Sasuke hissed back. Naruto scowled. Could the guy read his mind or something? Of course guy just loved causing him pain.

They got to another intersection and proceeded ever deeper, silent. Naruto ignored the weight of the gear on his shoulders, the chilled bite at his forehead, the desire to walk beside Sasuke instead of in front of him. Inside Naruto, so deep, Kyuubi was also quiet. They went further, further, further. At this point Naruto was quietly humming some morbid lyrics to himself when they came to a fork, but also a blur behind the maze wall. Smoothly, he raised his firearm and waited for Kakashi as he ducked around.

"Guard," the cell leader reported. "Dead."

He went in and the cell followed – the sight of the twisted corpse was appalling. Naruto saw the bird right away – it died on its back distorted and ugly, stretched out with its beak open, the tongue blue and black. Naruto didn't know jack about birds, but he doubted he'd be able to identify this one even if he did. True to its promise, the X-5 had left it flexed and vomiting. Naruto had to look away from the lidless eyes. Kakashi led them past it, though they had to keep to the wall to avoid its extended, ice-crusted wings for it was huge, easily two Narutos tall. He was just glad that beak would never cut someone apart again.

"1148," Sakura said, once they had left the abomination far behind.

Kakashi hummed. "Almost there."

It was easy to get used to anything, even if it was an agonizing pain, if it continued for long enough. Naruto was actually succeeding in ignoring the usual dread – he was humming "California Dreamin'" in his head - when some mental sense tipped him off, his stomach and throat clenching that caused him to halt. Sasuke and Kakashi stopped immediately, Sakura following - they felt it too. It was silent in the freezing maze.

"Keep going," their leader ordered. "On the alert."

They turned twice more before they saw what was in store for them.

It was another Guard, but how it was still alive, Naruto could not fathom. It had been a Kodiak bear once – there were great patches of fur missing from the one side Naruto could see, where the Guard was twitching and making low muffled growls into the hard ground. Even meters away, the tendons and ligaments could be seen through the translucent dermis. It had been cruelly slashed from muzzle to eye, and shoulder to belly - deeply too, as the blood was still pouring thick and strong. There was a clear trail of it indicating its path, glistening beautiful red against the ice walls. The movements of the Guard were gradually slowing, from either the injuries or the gas.

In its mindless agony the creature did not notice them. Unfortunately, it was also big enough to entirely obstruct their path. Kakashi held up a hand and motioned to Sakura. She raised her sniper rifle eye level – they would need to kill it in one shot to avoid injury at this proximity. She breathed in and shot it dead, straight through the brain. There were sprinklings of red on the other side, but otherwise the great ice-coated fur absorbed visual obscenities.

At Kakashi's command they held still one full minute, then he approached the dead flesh and inspected it. "Clear," He called back to them. "We'll have to climb over it to get across." He gripped the thing by its ear and stepped on its snout to propel himself up and over, landing quietly out of sight. The bear's eyes were still half-open, blood starting to swell behind them.

Naruto followed, and though it was clearly dead he still felt uneasy. He wasn't familiar with stomping on animal heads. Discomfort and danger, what else is new, he though sullenly. Oh yeah, having to climb over a dead bear's face, that's what. He place a hand on its neck – oh hell, it was so disgustingly soft – and kicked in his boots somewhere to find purchase, quick before the feel of the fur and warmth and muscle could really get to him. He vaulted over to join Kakashi, glad for the gloves that shielded from the feel of warm fur. Once Sakura and Sasuke were again with them – though Sakura did look slightly paler – they resumed. Only this time, they had a clear marker – the blood path coincided perfectly with Kakashi's map. Whatever had killed the Guard, it was on their side, and it was already deep inside.

They were now in deeper than they'd even been before. Getting closer to the core, the mystery, the end.

Naruto knew they were close to the very center of Olympus when the pale walls started to gradually soften and shrink – instead of corridors of ethereal light, there were clearings and rooms. Further ahead he could see hints of movement. His heart doubled in speed. This was it.

Naruto turned his head to look at Sasuke, who immediately turned to him. Their eyes seemed to hold each other for so long. Damn, did Naruto ever mention that Sasuke was beautiful? Because he was. Damn. Damn. Damn.

"Children," Kakashi said softly. "Get ready…" He plastered himself against the cold wall and moved forward, his cell diligently behind him, until Cell Seven broke into the very center of Olympus in the midst of the second assault. There was chaos.

Air was alive with battle, but Naruto registered the geography first – they emerged into a massive opening in the center of the mountain, now made of solid stone. How it remained brightly lit Naruto did not know and did not care. Along the entirety of its voluptuous walls were thousands of ice entrances like those which Cell Seven had come from. It gave the entire gaping room the appearance of a beehive. In the middle of the opening was a great pit which had the feeling of eternity. Only on the sidelines, close to the honeycomb-like entrances, could solid footing be found. And that was where the war raged.

The fight was between Konoha and Akatsuki. On the side of Konoha, thousands of trained soldiers even now were continuing to pour into the melee, stepping over their mauled brethren. On the side of Akatsuki, beasts of every imaginable species, deformed and hideous and strong. Once or twice Naruto caught a flash of red and black, the peculiar uniform worn by Akatsuki. The air was crackling with bullets and malice and emergency, though, so Naruto quickly fell in with his friends.

"Primary targets are any members of Akatsuki," Kakashi claimed loudly as he trained his firearm on a rampaging beast across the chasm. "But it looks like we'll have to take care of the Guards first." Then he shot an anaconda boa that was strangling a Konoha soldier dead through the eyes. A nearby ally slashed the snake apart to free him then returned to battle.

"Go time," Naruto laughed. "Way to go for the dramatic."

Immediately they formed a square, loading in clips to their most powerful firearms and taking kill shots, one by one. Sakura was to his right, Sasuke his left, and Kakashi right behind him. Yet even with the deadly accuracy of Konoha's finest, their numbers fell parallel to the Guard's – some were killed in brutal animalistic fashion while others fell into the endless black of the pit. The pit was something in itself - there wasn't really a word for that kind of thing. You're a speck. A tiny little dot at the edge of a solid, unshakeable chasm. You could try dropping a stone to see how deep it is. You could try dropping boulders. Or mountains. Continents. You still wouldn't hear a thing. Fucking terrifying. And men and women were plunging in, screaming, dying out into nothing. Gunshots and screams echoed through the mountain.

Death was loose inside Olympus.

Through the fray of battle – Naruto aimed his gun, easy as breathing, and with three bullets took down a Guard that had been heading straight for Sakura – he managed to ignore the pull of his soul. But with every step he took, Cell Seven as a whole was forced slightly closer to the edge. And with that closeness accompanied the pull he'd felt ever since he arrived near this place.

Inside him, Kyuubi was stirring.

He breathed in deep and pulled the trigger on the released breath, as he had been taught. The inner rim of the mountain was getting packed. From some entrances emerged either Konoha or Guards, and immediately one or the other died to make room for the new arrivals.

Naruto managed to lay waste to enough Guards to have the peace of mind to make conversation. "Yo, teach! Did Recon get Kiba's cell yet?" In between replies he emptied a cartridge into a zombie tiger – it's whole face sewn and stretched out like a grotesque clown – that continued to advance, growling, until a barrage of bullets from somewhere else downed it for good. At this point Naruto didn't even care that he was caked in blood not his own. Adrenaline rushed through him, made him calm and strong. He wiped blood from his goggles, then thought twice and just shoved them off. "THANKS!" Naruto cried out to whoever, in haste to reload. He thought he saw Lee and Neji somewhere in the fray and grinned.

"No word," Kakashi hissed, taking a step back. Cell Seven moved with him. It was hard to hear over the sound of death. "We'll run out of ammo if we keep like this. Naruto? Sasuke?"

"Yeah," Naruto replied, dodging a claw and responding with a boot in the eye of his assailant. A shower of death followed. "Sasuke, go. I'll cover you." He released a spray of bullets around Sasuke' circumference for good measure. His arms were getting sore.

Sasuke put away his gun and breathed in deep. Out of his peripherals, Naruto saw him motion with his hands – in, out, in, and with a final snap of power, out. A wave of lightning flew from Sasuke's palms, leaping from Guard to Guard in a chain reaction. Energy hissed in Naruto's senses, so fucking strong. The creatures went down in screams and wails, burning flesh thick and crackling. By luck no Konoha soldier was hurt, though they were being pressed closer than ever.

Out of nowhere a powerful claw came from Naruto's right, barely missing Sakura's shoulder. She released a clip into its forehead to little avail. The shower of blood and bone only served to enrage it – it lurched forward again, straight for her. Naruto turned to shoot it – it was a giant fucking mole, what the hell, what the hell, when Sasuke's blast of lightning energy slammed into it. In moments it was consumed in the blinding white of plasma. Blood pounded through Naruto's ears. His retinas burning and his other senses reeling, he did not see the giant vulture Guard that flew at him, keening high, making brutal contact. The talons flexed to close in around his shoulders, but almost without his consent a shield of fire burst from Naruto's frame, singing the great aerial predator. The talons released him and the force knocked him backwards into Kakashi. His teacher grabbed on to him and softened the landing.

"Naruto!" Sakura and Sasuke's simultaneous cries cut through Naruto's muddled brain. Balls of light were starting to intrude in Naruto's vision, but it was clearing up. He got up fast, feeling helpless without his sight, and disoriented. Bullets flew overhead, probably covering for he and Kakashi. Someone grabbed him by the shoulder. "Okay?" Sasuke asked gruffly, releasing him.

"Yeah," Naruto gripped Sasuke's hand for a moment then dropped it. "I can't see. Where's my gun?"

"Down here – I can't get it – oh no…" Sakura hissed. "It's coming back, and there's more."

Naruto fumbled for his knife. They had enough breathing room to look upwards and see it was true – three massive vultures, sickly yet fearsome circled around the mayhem and bloodlust of the inner mountain. Where they fuck did they come from? Naruto thought. Then he realized. They weren't mindlessly attacking. They were searching for something.

On cue, Naruto spotted a head of flaming hair beside another sporting two black buns. Gaara and Tenten were fighting off two vultures, the rest of their cell separated by combat. They were holding their own, but somehow the winged Guards survived salvo after salvo of sheer power and bullets. He could tell, even from afar, that Tenten was sweating. The Guards seemed to be preparing to swoop in as they had to Naruto.

"We've got to help them!" Naruto cried, coming to his senses in time to luckily counter a swipe of claw with his knife. Though outmatched in power compared to the attacking beast – a coyote, fur ripped off and bleeding freely in places – he launched it back with a wave of striking wind, borne deep inside of him, throwing the Guard over the edge of the chasm. Its rabid scream was lost over the noise of the battle, forgotten.

As if it couldn't get any worse, tiny but numerous squeals sounded from the gaping entrances furthest from Cell Seven. From them emerged hordes of rats, wave upon wave launching themselves at anything, even other Guards – but mostly they struck Konoha soldiers, biting through the vulnerable sleeves that lacked Kevlar. They swarmed on those who screamed, digging in deep to bite through any exposed muscle. Within moments they pushed off scarves and goggles and reached the eyes, flowing into the mouth, biting off lips and chewing the inside of the mouth. Naruto watched one Konoha soldier fall, screaming, covered in a living shell of rats, shrieking and gurgling until his throat was consumed. Then he lay limp as the rodents feasted on his body, shreds of his sodden uniform flying. Others climbed over them, growing in height and threat as they hunted for meat.

Special Forces, presented with this new foe that hit low and fast, left their firearms in favour of powerful energy blasts. They got most of the swarm, but other rats, moving so amazingly fast, either streamed in between blasts or from the entrances.

"To our left!" Sakura screamed, her single-target weapon useless against such vast quantities of enemies. Kakashi and Naruto summoned their power and unleashed them against the approaching vermin, Naruto's wind cutting like a blade through the maddened rodents. All around them soldiers were either downed or distracted by the masses. Naruto himself was preoccupied, waves of rats were coming closer on either side and he was afraid of hitting other soldiers in the tightly-packed throng. By chance he glanced up and saw that one vulture had disappeared. The other two were headed straight for him.

Before he could blink they descended upon him, and though Naruto cried out and unleashed a wave of fire at them, and Sasuke cursed and pelted them with lightning, one managed to clinch his left shoulder while the other kept his friends distracted. Naruto's feet left the ground as agonizing pain shot through his severed nerves. Off-balance and desperate, Naruto called from within him a surge of power, letting it feast upon his bones and blood as black bubbling flames enveloped his body. Though its screeches and the smell of singed flesh pierced the air, the vulture did not let go, and its wings flapped and bent, lifting him clear off the rim, carrying Naruto over the chasm and into an entrance. Before he disappeared entirely, he heard Sasuke's scream.

"NARUUUUTOOOOOO!"

The sound chased the flying scenery as he was flung like a kite through the ice maze.

No, Naruto thought. Frantic. No. No. Not again. No. Noooooo… He was helpless, dangling like a fish from a hook, his shoulder pierced almost straight through. He felt the blood move and surge inside of him, the cold hiss of air in his ears and through his face and in his eyes as the Guard screeched again, flying him through tunnel and maze, inside the lost world of Olympus. He struggled to keep consciousness. But dangling from a vulture's talon, buffeted by air cold and hurtful, it was difficult. His eyesight was waning. Darkness was closing in when he felt solid ground beneath his knees surging up to meet his entire body. He couldn't appreciate it much, seeing as he felt almost numb all over, but still he pressed his face to the floor and dealt the waves of pain as the vile bird shrieked and forced its claw from his shoulder. He felt bone ripping.

"Carrier of Nine," a new voice said above him. "What a pleasure."

Struggling, Naruto raised his head to see a form clothed in Akatsuki fashion, with a mask of swirling orange resembling a pumpkin hiding its face. There was only one black spot on the mask for the person's right eye to see through.

"What," Naruto gritted out, in his eternal eloquence, "the fuck do you want with me? I'm really sick of being dragged around by zombie animals, you know!"

"Oh, sorry," the person said beneath the mask. Far beyond him, Naruto could still hear the roar of battle. The vulture Guard disappeared back through the winding passages. "Would you have liked a limousine instead? Because I can totally get one of those. Geez."

Naruto fought to rise without abusing his pierced shoulder, blood spilling out in gushes and rivulets.

"You bastard," he gritted. He clapped a hand to his stomach and pulled from it a flaring sphere of power, careful to not disturb the Kyuubi's energy. The sphere in his palm glowed bright as Naruto raised his arm to throw it.

Pumpkin-head raised their hands quickly. "Whoa, whoa! Don't do that to me man. I just want to talk to you, you and your other Carrier friend."

"Where's Gaara?" Naruto raised the sphere higher.

"Chill out! He's alive, alright, he's alive. Come down with me and you'll see him."

"Like hell. You think I'm stupid?"

The person's demeanor entirely changed. "No. I think you have no other choice." He raised a hand toward Naruto, who quickly launched the energy ball. Before it could strike the target was gone. Everything changed.

No, Naruto thought. They haven't gone. Naruto was the one that had left. He was in a strange white room, full of rectangular shapes, like thick platforms protruding from the floor. There was no noise, no smell, not a shred of another object… An illusion.

"Not an illusion", said someone, all around him. Naruto turned frantically, his shoulder still screaming. "Transport."

And then the world was back again, though different. It was dark here, with some vague shapes that absorbed more light than others. He couldn't see what -

"Naruto," whispered a familiar voice. He whipped his head around.

"Gaara!" He cried. "Why are you – aaaah!" The stone walls bubbled and from them burst living chains, catching Naruto immediately and binding him to the wall like Gaara. He slammed into the hard stone, the shock flying through his shoulder without mercy. At least he looked better off than Gaara. He couldn't tell, but he thought one of his ears might be missing.

"You're both here! Great. Took you long enough…" Pumpkin-head appeared again, right in front of them where the sightless dark did not reach. "Shukaku's Carrier is a real biter, so I'm going to have to tie you up in case you try anything as well. Really though, there's no need to be aggressive."

"Shut the hell up, stop trying to act cool! What are you going to do with us!" Naruto yelled. He knew that two Carriers, in the hands of Akatsuki, in the middle of Olympus would equal… well, something not good.

"He really likes shouting, doesn't he," Pumpkin-head turned to Gaara conversationally. In reply Gaara spit blood on the orange mask. Pumpkin-head took a step back and wiped it off. "Alright, you guys are seriously pissing me off. Hey, blond kid, stop that."

Naruto ceased trying to force energy through his body to burn the restraints, it did not have any effect. He translated his hatred into a stare instead.

Pumpkin-head cracked his neck pleasantly. Really, it had to be a male. Unruly tufts of black hair were visible behind the mask. "We're going to have to keep you here for a bit, at least until the main hall clears up. All that screaming and dying, too distracting. After that, well, the real fun starts."

"What are you planning," Gaara said softly, menacingly. It had gotten to the point where red was dripping to the rock floor. Yep, definitely missing an ear.

"There's time to kill, so I guess I can do one of those villainous monologues like in the movies." Their captor seemed really amused. "We're going to return you to the mountain, of course. You can feel it, can't you? That tug inside of you, the reason you were drawn here in the first place?"

Naruto could feel it. He always had. Ever since…

"That's Olympus, calling it's children home. With all the Carriers back, it'll return dormant, leaving us capable of using its power. And what do you know…" the man must be grinning underneath the mask. "You two are the last."

"Dormant? Children? What kind of shit is this?" Naruto continued to fight his restraints, unable to believe his situation. He could feel Nine solid in his skull, flirting with Naruto's mental shield.

"Ah, it's a good story. And you're going to die, so why not?" Pumpkin-head shrugged and sat down, tucking in his dark robes. Naruto clenched his teeth and listened. "Once upon a time, there was a majestic mountain where the gods lived. That's what people thought, but really, the mountain created the gods. Not humans though, we little bastards come from a different sort. And see, we were causing all sorts of trouble. No morals whatsoever, killing each other senselessly, sinning left and right. We were a sacrilege to the earth, so the mountain decided to cleanse it. It unleashed the demons inside itself and sent them to wipe out the human race. A holy genocide if you will, the true Great Flood. Except there was no Noah, no Atrahasis, no Ziusudra, no Manu. Only the mountain and forest dwellers survived.

Then humanity began anew. The nomads found the land plentiful again and repopulated. Sure, this time we had warnings from kooky religions, but in the end our nature never changes. We are greedy little bitches, us homo sapiens. And we want power. As our civilizations evolved again and we started to multiply, we grew as selfish as ever. There was another problem – the demons were still loose. Some could be placated with offerings and temples, but mostly they just rampaged all over the land, causing your everyday mayhem, land destroyed, civilizations lost, all that boring shit – basically the first genocide all over again. People discovered that the only way to kill the demons was to first contain them in a vulnerable vessel, then kill them. Of course, the carriers were extremely powerful once they had their own personal power source, so this whole trapping demons and killing them idea didn't go so well. Those who carried demons became feared, but most of all, respected. Eventually, all the nations had their own, passing down the demons from Carrier to Carrier.

"But the mountain wasn't happy about this. First its children are on the loose, and then humanity continues to fuck up and imprison it's children. Humans felt the mountain's unstable power, and tried to use it. Without the demons, the mountain was weak – but it was awake. It sends out this call, see, trying to get its children back home using this strange pull they can't ignore. At the same time it shields itself with a blizzard, warding off human threat. The closer you are, the worse the storm. It grew quiet and content with every returned demon.

"We, Akatsuki, want to rid the world of the human scum. Third time's the charm in our attempt to be divine. We need the Carriers to release their demons to the mountain for two reasons – first, to return the mountain to dormancy and full power, when we can channel its energy undisturbed and harness full power. Second, to avoid the possibility of Carriers interfering with our work – as you are quite good at doing. Then we can select which humans deserve to survive our apocalypse." Pumpkin-head tilted his head innocently and rose to his feet. "We, not Konoha, are the true messengers of peace."

Naruto and Gaara kept silent, digesting this.

"That's…" Naruto swallowed and blinked, shaking his head. "That's fucking stupid. Wipe out the human race? Really? Konoha won't let you. We'll stomp on your corpse."

"It will not happen," Gaara agreed, growing fainter from lack of blood, but still threatening. "You're insane."

Pumpkin-head shrugged. "Gee, Konoha had been real interested a few years back. You seem kinda dumb, blondie, I can tell they didn't have to try hard to get you to believe them when they pretended to be the enforcers of justice."

Naruto stood straighter. "What do you mean?"

The captor gestured around him. "Look around you."

Abruptly, Naruto could. Somehow the light grew, and Naruto saw – they were in a laboratory. Not the kind he was used to. This one resembled a veterinarian's torture chamber more than anything else, stretching out farther than Naruto could see. Foremost he noticed the large surgical lamps, pending over operating tables with leather restraints, mostly unoccupied. Along every wall were vertical tubes filled with bubbling green liquid within which sleeping creatures were suspended, animals of every shape and size, from spectral bats to komodo dragons. There were dollies beside each machine, and tranquilizer dispensers littered about. Some tubes were empty, and their occupants were more than likely the still forms on the tables, having not yet been reduced to the Guards he knew. Pumpkin-head walked between aisles of tables, gesturing happily.

"Our creations are exceptional technology. With enough concentrations of the mountain's power, we can strengthen their bodies and weaken their minds. Some fall apart, unfortunately, but we learned how to sow very quickly. As long as they're close to the power source – Olympus – they're incredibly strong. Take them far enough away and they decompose as they should have long ago. But you see, our pets are just the beginning. Where better to start testing than with animals? Akatsuki's initial goal was to create super humans, ones who could survive the apocalypse. The merits are fantastic! Extended life, magical abilities… we will finally transcend the stain of humanity and become the sacred race that we were intended to be."

Pumpkin-head turned to them. "Once upon a time, Konoha shared our vision as well. We merged our efforts to create these genetically and magically-enhanced beings. We hadn't enlightened them as to what we intended to do with the übermensch, letting Konoha believe it was for the advancement of the human race. Until things got a bit tricky, and it came time to reveal that we must return the Carrier's demons, effectively killing the Carriers as well. That didn't go so well. The parents of a certain Carrier turned traitor, attempting to flee with the baby, killing multiple Akatsuki scientists and Konoha ops. Let's just say, they didn't get very far. Konoha and Olympus saw to that." Pumpkin-head's smile was almost visible. "Though their efforts did thwart our progress. No matter. The Carrier is back now. Thanks to your beloved Konoha, your parent's efforts were futile, Carrier of Nine!"

Naruto didn't reply. His eyes were wide, unseeing. In his mind, Nine laughed.

"Lies," Gaara said firmly. He was sagging against the bonds even as his demon raced to heal him. "Konoha is trying to stop you, and always has."

"Sure, once they got wind that they were also on the list of extermination. Up to that point, they were happy to cut up animals and foster Carriers right along with us. They thought they were helping humanity. Heh. And now, they employ you to kill the very things they helped create. They're very bad losers, Konoha."

"Lies," Gaara enforced.

"Say what you like. It's their fault you're both parentless and damaged. Sad existence, but don't worry. It'll be over soon."

Gaara was about to respond, but there was an interruption. "Toby," a new voice called.

The man turned and raised his arms happily. "Oh, Itachi! Is it time? It's been fun babysitting these two. They're cute and stupid."

It was indeed Itachi Uchiha. The tall somber man approached and nodded. "The rats have exterminated most of the assault. There are soldiers that retreated to the tunnels, but we have enough room to maneuver. Come, Pain has called us."

"Alright. Keep watch on these two while I release the seal, I can't transport them until I do. They'll probably try something. Ready… now!"

The instant the stone restraints broke, Naruto and Gaara unleashed expanding shells of energy around them that merged together and strengthened, wind and sand becoming a storm that thrashed Toby. At the same time Itachi jabbed at multiple weak points in quick succession before Toby could retaliate by sending them to another dimension. He fell to the floor, senseless. Naruto and Gaara turned on Itachi.

Itachi raised a placating hand before Gaara could throw a sword of sand at him. "Wait. I am here to help you."

"Shut the fuck up you spy. I trusted you," Naruto hissed, ignoring the pain to summon a great deal of power. Hatred and disbelief coloured his thoughts. "I'll kill you now, for what you and your organization has done to Sasuke, to me, and to everyone." Blades of wind revolving around a sphere came to life in his hands, growing so strong Gaara was tipped of his feet.

Itachi remained passive and unaffected. "Yes, I am a spy. But for Konoha, not Akatsuki."

"I've had enough of everyone's bullshit today. DIE! RASENGAN!" Naruto threw the wind shuriken straight for Itachi's face, and the man threw up his hands to block it – he just barely managed to flip out of the way when his shield proved ineffective.

"Calm yourself!" He said harshly, and with a flash of darkness ravens and crows burst from where he had stood. Naruto hid his face against the sudden loudness of the crows and their violent flight. The storm of birds grew more violent as they scratched at his face and hands. "Listen to me," Itachi's voice said over the ruckus. "Did I not tell you last time, little one, that lying is easy? Who told you I had betrayed Konoha?"

Naruto grit his teeth as feathers and beaks jabbed at his shoulder wound. "Orochimaru!"

"And you believed him?"

"Alright, alright! Cut it out!" Past the black birds Naruto could see that Gaara had still not risen. "STOP!"

The birds disappeared instantly, and Itachi stood before them.

"Fine, you're saying I still don't know the truth. Okay. But then how can I believe anything you or anyone else says?"

Itachi blinked carelessly, his slender face appearing bored. "That is not up to me to decide for you. However I recommend you follow me – Toby will awake soon, and whatever he told you, you should know that you are not in a good position. In your absence the remains of the Konoha assault have retreated to the labyrinth, and I suspect the Recon team has found what they are looking for. You'd best rejoin them before they decide to detonate Olympus."

Fear clenched in his gut. "My friends – are they okay?"

The tall man shrugged. "I suspect they are. Things are complicated, however."

Gaara was regaining consciousness as his beast worked furiously. He got up shakily but stayed on his feet, tenderly touching the nub of cells that were regenerating into his right ear. His uniform was in tatters and his cold eyes pierced Itachi. "Can we trust him?" He asked Naruto.

Naruto took in a deep breath. Who was a friend, and who was a foe? What was real? How could he know anything anymore?

"I think so."

Itachi bowed his head. "Let's be on our way. Orochimaru has been sighted near Olympus, and Akatsuki is going to hunt you down once Toby regains his senses. For the sake of everyone's lives, you have to rejoin with Konoha."


	17. Chapter 17

Just once, Naruto grumbled to himself, he'd like to spend a week without some sort of bodily harm happening to him. Naruto admitted that his hair made him a moving target, but his daily allowance of injuries was just ridiculous. He gingerly touched his shoulder where the skin, newly formed, sported a rapidly forming hematoma underneath, the sight poking out from his torn jacket sleeve. He had Nine to thank for that, but he certainly did not like to.

All the same, he was not in any condition to walk the distance the vulture Guard had flown him across. Naruto cracked his knuckles.

"Fine, let's rejoin. But how?"

Itachi blinked slowly. That man really did not have many expressions to speak of. "You're in no condition to run, and the centre is very far."

"Yeah. What do you suggest? Snowmobile? A taxi, maybe?"

"We haven't got any of those, but will a wolf do for you?" Itachi said seriously, showing a hint of humor.

"What…" It took him a moment to process, but eventually Naruto threw his hands up. "Hell no. No. I'm not riding those things. Know what? I'll walk."

"You cannot seriously –"

"Believe that I'm going to ride a wolf. What am I, an elf? No thanks. Watch me walk."

"You will ride, Naruto."

"Fuck. No."

Naruto was determined, but Itachi was not to be deterred either. The seconds trickled by and Naruto sweated, feeling Gaara and Itachi's loaded stares.

Gaara was good at intense, unnerving stares. His kohl eyes bored into Naruto's own. "Naruto. You are playing with more than your own life. We need time, and if it means we have to get on the back of an abomination to buy it, then we must."

"Damn it, Gaara," Naruto hissed, gesturing wildly. "Why do you have to be so – so – doesn't it make you sick, just thinking about it?"

"Thinking of my dead comrades makes me feel worse. Uchiha, we're ready."

Naruto grumbled aloud about since when did Gaara suddenly grow a heart, but he followed the men past the gurneys and claw-marked tables and ugh, it was like being in a horror movie. The industrial bulbs in the eerie light did not help any either. In a far corner of the massive room there was a steel door with a large pad instead of a door knob. Itachi pressed his hand to it, but the door did nothing until he shocked the pad with a jolt of energy. With no ceremony the door slid open, steel disappearing into steel. The trio proceeded within down a blackened hallway, oppressive enough with its drabness, but altogether unimportant. Doors lined it systematically, all bare save for the security pads.

"Akatsuki was not so foolhardy that they did not think Konoha would never get this far. There are other security measures as well, however I have eliminated those. Provided we do not take longer than another thirteen minutes, we will not have to worry about alarming the system." Itachi explained patiently without even looking at Naruto, like they were on a school trip or something. "I have worked hard and long to achieve Akatsuki's security clearance. This is our only chance for success."

Gaara said nothing, only clutching his stomach and hiding the trembling of his fingers.

"We are close to the core. Your demons are probably unsettled. I doubt they are eager to return to their previous slumber." Itachi said almost apologetically.

As they continued through the maze of somber hallways – hard to think that this laboratory lay beneath tons and tons of unforgiving ice – Naruto swallowed. Kyuubi, as Nine called himself, was still mostly silent. But the presence in his mind was heavier.

What are you planning? Naruto thought to the monster inside him. He received no reply. Not that Kyuubi was not there – he simply stirred, showed a fang, and remained silent.

Finally they stopped at a wide door. Once Itachi bypassed the clearance check they entered to find a startling sight. The enormous room held at least one hundred cages of subdued animals. Row after row of barred boxes contained creatures limp and dazed, their giant hides rising with their slow breathing. The combined panting and body heat, as well as the natural stench, was almost overwhelming. Naruto walked by a genetically engineered spotted hyena with its eyes half open and its pink tongue lying out. The eyes seemed to glimmer as they followed him.

"This is the carnivore holding. The horses Akatsuki keeps would be too large for our path, and they are difficult to ride bareback. Here… are the wolves."

And yes, there were indeed wolves, albeit giant, biologically modified ones. (Naruto tried hard not to think of his last encounter.) At least ten cages, sectioned off by labels filled with unintelligible writing, were filled with the momentarily-passive animals.

"Calm," Gaara observed.

"Yes. Akatsuki do not enrage the animals until release, after their final modifications. They are too difficult to keep when they are aggressive."

Naruto felt what could be a glimmer of pity for the creatures that would become monstrosities. "Talk about animal abuse."

"It certainly is." Itachi seemed unusually chatty. "When I open the door and grab them, take hold of their collars. Keep yourself at their side, away from the jaws. Carrier of One, are you fit to ride?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed. His kohl was smudged and the bags under his eyes were evident. His ear was back, though tender and pink, and not just because of the cold. "Of course. I am not weak."

Ah, there was the anti-social jerk Naruto knew.

Well, one of them, anyway. Naruto tried not to think of Sasuke.

The older Uchiha padded the cage open, and the large grey specimen inside barely reacted. Itachi ducked inside and grabbed the full body collar and forced the creature on its paws. The large, intelligent eyes seemed disenchanted and dull. Gaara took hold at the neck and positioned it at his side. He watched it closely, unimpressed. "How will it return us to our forces?"

As he opened another cage, Itachi answered. "Under conditioning animals are more likely to obey what they consider 'authority'. Akatsuki treats the creatures accordingly until the pecking order is made quite clear. What this means for us is that the animals are broken down enough to obey straightforward commands, though to Akatsuki they are usually unnecessary. Nonetheless, to guide them, we shall make them smell something to lead us at least back to the core. It's a tracking technique used for hunting, but it is usually effective."

"And how do you – I mean, how does Akatsuki enrage them? Rabies?" Naruto watched wearily as he was offered a sleepy wolf. The unnaturally large beast – steroid conditioning, most likely - came up to his midsection. He was glad for his gloves as he quickly grabbed the collar and forced the creature to his side. Obedient or not, he knew very well that wolves were not as charming and honourable as humans liked to make them seem. That jaw was certainly not friendly-looking.

Gaara, wolf in tow, made his way back to the door. Naruto and Itachi followed.

"No, they would die too soon and become useless long before that. More often then not the animals become enraged on their own, due to their deteriorating health and Olympus' influence. If starvation and abuse is not enough, Akatsuki uses an endocrine hormone potion. In both humans and animals anger is an emotion governed by the hypothalamus. The potion over-stimulates it and drives the animal to rage. Any animal that behaves differently is dispatched immediately."

Again, Naruto shivered. There was no question that Akatsuki needed to be destroyed. "And this is how you get around? Climbing on a wolf's back? Do you howl at the moon and have rituals and stuff too?"

His shoddy attempt at humour went by unnoticed. "The members of Akatsuki have their own methods of transportation. Guards are used for one thing and one thing only: to kill any living thing they meet." Here Itachi palmed the door open with his free hand.

Once they were out of the awful stench and the door closed behind them, Itachi said, "Are you bleeding?"

Naruto checked his once-gaping wound. He even rotated his arm. "No. Why -"

Gaara's ear was back to normal, but he grabbed his knife and carelessly slashed the side of his arm through the jacket. Showing no pain, he offered the wound to the nose of the wolves.

Itachi made an undecipherable sound. "That would do. Careful. Hold it still."

His wolf reacted and Naruto jerked its collar. He felt the sinuous power of the beast as it straightened and seem to fully awaken. He forced back his revulsion at riding what had caused him untold anguish and nightmares, even if this one was not yet a monster. He watched Gaara deftly lift a leg over the back lie almost flat on his stomach, digging his feet into sides of the wolf's belly. Naruto looked down and patted the wolf. It turned its head and their eyes met.

"I don't like you either," Naruto told it. The wolf huffed and pointed its head in the direction of the distant battle.

"What a bitch," Naruto whined to Itachi. The man looked at the wolf flatly.

"I assure you that one is most definitely male."

Naruto snorted. "Does your sense of humour combust then reappear at will?"

"Naruto. Get on."

"Yeah, yeah…" Nervously Naruto did the same as Gaara and pressed his stomach to the creature's back, ripping his gloves off and shoving them in an empty ammo pouch to better grip the wolf by the fur. The warmth at his fingertips was unsettling. The stench of the wolf filled his nose. It was not comfortable. Yet somehow, the creature adjusted to Naruto as Naruto adjusted to it.

"Jab the collar forward." Itachi said.

Naruto did, and the wolf began to move. If it had been hard to balance while the thing was standing still, it was another when those paws were in motion. The rolls of muscle under him kept Naruto in constant fear of falling. He held on tight. It picked up the pace as it led them through the somber corridors, then slowed as they approached a great obstacle. Naruto and Gaara stopped side by side as Itachi came closer to it. The doors before them were not only double but reinforced with crisscrossing rods of metal. Naruto bet the doors were even thicker than they looked.

Itachi slid off the back of his mount and pressed both hands to the door. Naruto felt the hint of energy as Itachi forced the doors open by will alone. The lock rods retracted into themselves like an oiled machine and finally the enormous slabs were free to move. Immediately Naruto felt the dead chill of Olympus' ice, for beyond the doors laid those walls of cold that penetrated his bones.

Itachi remounted the wolf and nudged it forward. "No time to lose."

They were off again, and Naruto had to struggle to stay put. Gradually the creature gained velocity until he and Gaara were nearly blurs on their mounts, following Itachi as he lead the way. The wolves handled the maze expertly, never losing the scent despite the cold biting at their snouts or the lack of traction on the uneven floor. The turns were the hardest, but Naruto soon learned to lie like he was sitting on a motorcycle – keeping himself perfectly straight, parallel to the wolf's body at all times. He even fought the urge to bury his face into the creature's neck, though the stinging cold had long numbed his nose. In all honesty the speed they were traveling at defied the ability to stay put on a wolf's back, but by some miracle, they managed.

The crystalline walls blurred by them without notice. Through his stinging eyeballs Naruto only saw the carnage that would await them upon their return. Itachi said that Konoha had retreated from the core, but that meant they had been overwhelmed to begin with. How many had been lost? He hadn't known his friends for very long, but he would never be able to bear it if any of them had died…

Damn it, he thought with a heave of his chest. It's just too much…

Then there was the sound of a living organism being ripped to pieces. The explosion sent him flying sideways and crashing into the wall.

By the time he slid to the floor and opened his eyes, he saw the wolf that had been seconds ago living and breathing was now a charred quivering mess, speaking not of the parts so scattered they could not be identified. Blood burst from the bubbling melting arteries and veins and the colour red had never been so red as it was then, hissing and evaporating immediately on the ice floor. Drops of it had landed on Naruto and the hot blood burned straight through the outer layer of his pants. Even the bones were burned open, the marrow spitting and hissing. The singed smoking corpse still twitched as the muscles spasmed in death.

In an instant Itachi and Gaara were at his side, un-mounted. Their arms were raised in preparation and their wolves were snarling and spitting.

"He missed on purpose," an oily voice said.

Orochimaru stepped into sight. He must have run into trouble on his way here, for he sported battle wounds and was lacking any sort of firearm, wielding only a combat knife instead. However, his injuries did not bother him, if his leery smile was any indication. He lay his devil's smile upon Naruto.

At his sides were two boys of Naruto's age, but thoroughly more somber. One had long white hair and feminine looks, and the other had the build of a wrestler. The wrestler carried what looked to be a miniature grenade launcher. Their eyes locked on to him as he struggled to rise, his healing shoulder bruised and opened anew.

Naruto did not have to be particularly smart to know that this was not a joyful development. The distinct sound of a safety being switched off sounded right beside Naruto's right ear. Orochimaru's loyal lackey, Kabuto, had a magnum pistol to his head.

Well, Naruto had never liked that asshole, either.

"You've put quite a wrench in my plans, Naruto." his once-guardian said calmly.

"Terribly sorry," Naruto mumbled with distinct hatred.

"I am too. I had not expected you to let Uchiha save you, so now I have to escort you myself." With a sigh Orochimaru stepped forward and two boys each trained a firearm on Gaara and Itachi. "Heaven forbid you rejoin with Konoha."

"So you are with Akatsuki," Gaara hissed.

"Hardly! They, too, are an end to my means." Orochimaru walked closer and patted Gaara on the cheek. Gaara twitched but remained still. "I don't want you to fall to Olympus either, because then what use would you be to me? I want you all – to - my – self."

"I don't understand," Naruto frowned. Orochimaru stepped over to him.

"You never do, stupid boy, so I'll make it simple for you. If you are sacrificed to Olympus, Akatsuki will be unstoppable. If you rejoin with Konoha, Akatsuki will fall. If Akatsuki falls, Konoha will be unstoppable. So I am taking you out of the equation and letting those fools kill each other off, while I take your power for myself." He ran the back of his hand over Naruto's face. His fingers were rough and ice-cold. "With those opposing forces dead, I'll have all the time in the world to complete my… experiments."

Naruto swallowed hard. "Wait - how did you find us in this maze?"

Orochimaru sighed. "Must I reveal everything? My agents slipped a signal chip inside your coat. And jammed some towers… and screwed with some vehicle checks… really, Konoha could do with a better Defense department. Now, enough talk, we must get you boys out of here. So chop-chop, come on. It's a long walk." He paused to inspect his torn jacket sleeve. "And Juugo? I expect any Guards to be dispatched much faster this time, do you understand me?"

"Sir," the boy said tonelessly. He shouldered the grenade launcher. Figures they'd give a big boy a big gun.

It was hard to resist the urge to lash out in anger and fear, but he knew it was best to be compliant. If he retaliated, surely he would not get far… or Gaara and Itachi would suffer. Kabuto pressed the pistol to Naruto's head and Naruto got the message. He started walking towards where Kabuto indicated. The boys flanked Itachi, Naruto, and Gaara as Orochimaru walked at the end of the file. Something snarled.

"Oh, and shoot those filthy things," Orochimaru said pleasantly.

Kabuto's gun pressed against his head again in warning. "Try something and Juugo and Kimimaro will blow the heads off those two." Then he turned to kill the wolves.

Naruto took his chance. As Kabuto aimed to fire, Naruto called forth his power. "RASENGAN!" He shouted, the blast of energy forming into deadly star of wind, drilling through Kabuto's head at point-blank rage.

As Kabuto dropped dead, Naruto turned before he could see the carnage to see Itachi move with godlike speed as he pulled the boy named Kimimaro to him and dug his fingers into his larynx. The boy choked and stumbled, momentarily incapacitated. Meanwhile Gaara produced two knives and managed to hack at Juugo's chest as he turned. But Juugo was stronger and pummeled him with the side of grenade launcher, straight to the head. Gaara stumbled back.

Orochimaru leaped forward to assist but the two wolves set upon him with a snarl. Combined, their power easily brought Orochimaru down, but Juugo turned and blasted the top one with a grenade. The creature had no chance. Blood and fur flew.

"Run!" Naruto yelled, tearing off into the luminescent maze. Itachi pulled Gaara along, who was still reeling. Naruto thanked whatever Guard had weakened Orochimaru's group on their way here, otherwise their escape would definitely not have been possible. He sadly thanked the wolves as well, as he ran he heard another grenade being fired and a yelp of pain. That meant that with the wolves gone, Orochimaru was free to pursue them. Oh, and yeah, Juugo had a grenade launcher. Naruto ignored all his pains and ran faster.

With the sounds of Orochimaru screaming orders behind them, Naruto yelled, "What's plan B?"

Gaara managed to right himself and run on his own. This time, he cradled his rifle as he ran. "Can we defeat them on our own?"

He didn't know about Itachi, but Naruto and Gaara had taken heavy tolls during the mission. And they didn't yet know what Kimimaro and Juugo were for. So… "Probably not!"

"Then we gain enough ground to either lose them or prepare to hold them off, one way or another. We should be close to the core now…" Itachi heaved.

Unfortunately the stretch of maze they were running through straightened into a long one. Naruto began to sweat. All three ran even faster, tearing past the glowing walls of ice, but almost immediately Orochimaru, Juugo, and Kimimaro turned the corner and had them in their sights. Naruto, over his footsteps, his gear, and his breathing, still heard the click of machinery and the whir of the oncoming projectile. By some instinct he didn't need to look back to know where it would land.

With a burst of strength he tackled Itachi. They landed hard, and the ice floor was not forgiving, but more so than the grenade that went off meters ahead of them. Still the sting of the blast reached them, though Naruto had managed to raise an arm to his face. Itachi moved beneath him, so he was okay. Naruto felt Gaara pull him up brusquely and he in turn grabbed Itachi. There was no time to talk, they couldn't run, they wouldn't make it, the next turn was not far now...

Naruto twisted to face Juugo raise the launcher again, but he before he straightened to run he caught a glimpse of Orochimaru's face. It was grotesquely livid, but his eyes were not on Naruto. They were past him. Gaara and Itachi, too, stumbled to a dead stop. Naruto turned around.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, Sai, and Iruka were all blocking the width of the maze. Iruka and Tsunade had engineered shotguns trained on all of the pursuers. Jiraiya and Sai stood weaponless but un-intimidated.

"Yes!" Naruto wheezed with what breath he had left. His hands were shaking as he braced them on his knees. "What - how did you…"

"Locator chips," Tsunade said sternly, never taking her gun or her eyes off the distant three. "We were tracking you all along. Itachi, good work. Iruka and Sai will escort the Carriers from here on out. Orochimaru…"

The man in question spat on the ground. "Fucking bitch. You ruin everything."

Tsunade, surprisingly, handed her gun to Sai. "Don't worry. I'll make you hate me more in an instant." She turned to Naruto and fixed him with a solid look. "You four, return to Cell Seven. Iruka has a transmitter with Kakashi's coordinates. Itachi, stay with Jiraiya and I. We have a score to settle."

"I don't think so," Orochimaru sneered. "Kimimaro! Juugo!"

The battle began in chaos.

The minimal space made maneuvers difficult, and Naruto's energy attacks were powerful, but not precise. As shots were fired at Juugo and Kimimaro, the two still advanced completely undeterred. Not that the firearms missed – the pair had some inexplicable ability to harden their skin against the bullets, which bounced off. But a change had come over Juugo – his skin was blackening and twisting in on itself, his arm turning into a massive sledgehammer of power. His eyes were wide and white, no longer sane. With a yell Naruto swept forth a shield of wind but Juugo swung again, almost striking true – Tsunade leapt forward to save him and met the blow fist to fist. Juugo roared and reared back. Tsunade took her chance and with a cry she kicked him into the wall, the ice splintering like cobwebs.

"GO!" She shouted as Orochimaru and Kimimaro advanced. Disgustingly, tendrils of bone ripped through Kimimaro's arms and, still attached, shot towards Tsunade. Jiraiya jumped in and sliced them in half before they could touch her by conjuring a wall of ice. Close by, Itachi was involved in some sort of hand-to-hand combat with Orochimaru, whose knives had been deflected.

Naruto leaned forward to help, but three different hands grabbed his clothes and heaved him back. Naruto grunted. "You're coming with us," Sai said calmly.

"We will rejoin you later, little one," Itachi called over flatly, ducking spindles of Kimimaro's bones. As was his nature, he did not seem much bothered by the activity. Naruto hesistated.

"Kid, I swear, if you don't leave right now…" Jiraiya said between grit teeth. He clashed with Orochimaru head-to-head, both lashing out with all the power they had.

Naruto swallowed and turned. "Okay."

He, Sai, Iruka, and Gaara sprinted away from the battle. It was hard for Naruto to leave behind those that had saved him. Soon they could barely hear the sounds of the skirmish.

"They'll be fine," Iruka said over their huffed breaths as they traversed the maze. The man could read Naruto like a book. "I mean, have you seen Sir Tsunade's right hook?"

"She'll be okay," Naruto huffed, "it's the others I'm –"

There was the sound of pursuit behind them, though Gaara realized it first. He stopped, turned, crouched, took aim at head level and waited until their followers ran into his scope. Once they heard the shot, the other three screeched to a halt and ran back.

Kimimaro was completely unharmed, despite the headshot. He reached forward and his arm exploded into a bone scythe, flying straight at Gaara. Sai, from beside Naruto, made strange but precise motions in the air that, upon his command, sprung to life. A creature made out of nothing but inky black lines charged at the oncoming scythe, consuming and destroying it.

"Cool, bro," Naruto said. Wasn't life just full of surprises. But before Sai could respond, Juugo also burst into the scene.

Naruto formed a sphere of energy between his hands, careful to mentally keep Nine at bay. The effort cost him some seconds. Naruto thrust the glowing sphere into Juugo's chest just as the huge boy descended upon him, both his arms coated in living black. The thrust sent Juugo back, but not far enough. Naruto was desperately reaching for his knife when a well-aimed throw buried someone else's knife deep into Juugo's left eye.

Juugo screamed with agony and rage as the knife was buried almost to the hilt, cutting through part of the brain. Naruto scurried out of the way as Juugo swung his beastly arms around madly in his dying throes. His remaining eye was filling with red. Naruto had no time to even feel sick.

"DAMN YOU!" Kimimaro screamed, launching himself on the knife-thrower – Iruka. "DAMN! YOU!"

Iruka raised his gun and emptied shot after shot into him, but that did nothing except momentarily slow him down. Gaara was dodging Juugo's wild swings, and Sai was still conjuring, flicking his wrist quickly. Naruto had almost finishing calling forth another attack, but Kimimaro already had Iruka in his clutches. His entire spine, exploding with blood and ichor, grew and branched off to cage Iruka in a deathgrip.

"He's my only friend!" Kimimaro screeched, as behind him Juugo was taken down by a blast of Gaara's power. Another part of Kimimaro's spine grew and flew for Gaara, piercing him through the stomach. Gaara gave a wet groan of pain. Naruto's own stomach gave a jolt. He pushed more and more power to the tips of his fingers, sweating. It was getting hard to think. So little space… close proximity… don't hit Iruka… keep Nine out…

"Why are you doing this?" He choked, as Sai's summoned ink creature sailed for Kimimaro, making him reel back but not let go of Iruka. The man in his clutches thrashed and kept from screaming as the bone slowly pierced into his skin.

"I am fulfilling my duty to detain the Carriers!" Kimimaro hissed as Naruto channeled all he could. "I am acting the only purpose I know!"

That made Naruto almost regret what he knew he would have to do. "Let go of him," he warned, as Iruka was forced to be still. Naruto's attack was ready. "I said, let him go!"

"Fine!" Kimimaro cried, but as his tendrils of bone freed Iruka, they sped straight for Naruto. Naruto ran to meet them. "DOUBLE RASENGAN!" He screamed, releasing the energy. The blast enveloped Kimimaro, who screeched in agony as Gaara, Iruka, and Sai also attacked.

Once the blasts died down, the corpses of Kimimaro and Juugo lay bloody and still. Steam hissed off of Kimimaro, disappearing quickly in the cold. Burning human flesh was barely decipherable in the temperature, but it was there. The labyrinth walls of Olympus remained unaffected by the heat.

In the following silence, Naruto's heart beat like a hammer.

He was a murderer.

Naruto turned his head away. Iruka's lacerated, raggy arm came around him. "It had to be done," the gentle man said quietly. "You know there was no other way. Come, that was one battle. We've still got a war to fight."

Naruto closed his eyes and leaned into Iruka's warmth for a mere moment before pulling away and composing himself. "Should we go back to the hag and the pervert?"

Iruka frowned. Sai answered for him, "No. Our duty is to escort you both to your cell, keeping you safe at all times."

"A fine job you did," Gaara cut in with a growl as he pressed a glove to his gaping wound. At least the skin was starting to bubble and reform.

"Unavoidable," Sai said, turning to him pleasantly. "You still live, so my assignment has not failed."

"So about that war we're still fighting," Iruka said loudly. "Gaara, do you want me to carry you?"

The look Gaara sent him could have struck him blind. "No. I'll walk even if it kills me." Naruto thought (with a private grimace) that Gaara would surely hate any mention of being carried again, ever. Especially inside Olympus. Gaara shouldered his rifle and stood up. They did not look at each other.

"Then we must go. It's 1404. Most Guards have been eliminated from both the maze and the core, but the members of Akatsuki have yet to show their faces. It's not long a walk to Cell Seven's coordinates, now."

So, after all that, they walked. There was no point in running and leaving the injured behind, besides, Iruka was covered in gashes and he was the one with the transmitter. Still, they hurriedly made their way through the twisting walls of silence and shards. No one spoke, and the earlier tension returned to Naruto. The burning question was always this: what had happened to the main battle in his absence?

Time crawled for Naruto, who felt weary with each step. At least this time, he wasn't being fired at, or half-dead. His gear was heavy… Nine was ominous and sneering inside his head… Naruto rubbed his hands together for warmth and kept going. He was certainly doing better than Iruka or Gaara. The whole constant-imminent-death thing certainly was an occupational hazard to Carriers. Or maybe that was just from being a soldier. Hmm… he was really tired…

They turned another corner, went down another path. Finally, they heard sounds that were not their own. Up ahead voices were conversing.

"-Nothing can be done-"

"-That dumbass gone, who knows what –"

Naruto's heart did a stupid leap of relief. He could guess who was speaking about who. It made him unreasonably happy.

"You're a dumbass," Naruto called out defensively. Iruka shot him a glare and Sai laughed softly in his awkward way. The voices beyond the walls stopped with surprise. A male voice said, "Naruto?"

As they came into view the four soldiers turned to meet Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke's expressions of startled disbelief. Naruto struck a pose, almost tripping Gaara in the process.

"Naruto! Everyone!" Sakura said, and her bloodied face melted into a bright smile. "Oh, oh my goodness, oh…" Sakura clipped her weapon and wrapped Naruto in a crushing hug. Yep, that power was definitely reminiscent of Tsunade.

"Worried out of our minds," she said with emotion.

"Yeah yeah, me too. Watch the shoulder," Naruto hissed into her coat. "Vulture? Talons? Remember?" Though he was grateful to see Sakura again.

"Self-centered jerk," Sakura said almost fondly. "Idiot." She added for good measure, and noticeably stopped herself from punching Naruto in the other shoulder, then turned to Gaara and the others. She quickly got to work treating Gaara with her medic pack. It would do until they got him proper treatment, as long as he refrained from combat.

Kakashi and Iruka spoke softly to each other while Naruto turned to Sasuke. He, too, looked like he had seen better days. Chunks of his bangs were missing, giving them a spiked appearance, and his sword was drawn. Naruto smiled wide.

"You look gorgeous." He said in a terrible British accent.

Sasuke's twitched and glared in that predictable way. He flicked his blade clean of blood and sheathed it. "Good to see you too."

"So you did miss me!"

"I miss the silence, now."

"Oh, come here, you big teddy bear," Naruto smiled goofily. He tried to wrap Sasuke in a hug, but Sasuke held his pistol at him wearily. Naruto pouted. "I am really sick of having those things pointed at me. Can you believe I was chased by someone with a grenade launcher not an hour ago?"

"Seeing as we're talking about you, yes," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "And I don't blame them either. How would a grenade launcher not cause half the mountain to collapse?"

"It was a custom build, I don't know any more than that. Also, I resent that previous comment. Hey, Kakashi, Sir. What's up?"

Kakashi looked at Naruto lazily. "Lots and lots of ice. Then snow. Then atmosphere…"

Iruka shot Kakashi a look of impatience. "What is up, Naruto, is that we have a change in plans. Kakashi tells me Kiba and his cell have been rescued and are en route to the base. Tsunade and Jiraiya have dispatched Orochimaru and are returning now. Your orders are to seek out the members of Akatsuki and eliminate them. Chances are they've retreated to their hideout, so if the maze's sweep is clean then we'll evacuate the mountain and detonate."

"Ah," Naruto said, and exchanged looks with Gaara. "Total annihilation might, uh, not be the best idea."

Everyone looked at the Carriers seriously. Kakashi was particularly stern. "You best relate what exactly happened since you left us, Naruto."

"Is now the best time?"

"Is it immediately relevant?"

"Yeah?"

"So tell us?"

Iruka got off the radio with Control and nodded to Kakashi. "We have to begin the sweep, but I see no reason why Naruto can't talk as he walks. Gaara? Can you proceed?"

There was a pause. "Yes," Gaara answered. Naruto was surprised that Gaara handled that calmly – he had been expecting physical violence. But he took the constant concern in stride and nodded to Naruto. Naruto grinned in response.

So Cell Seven plus its original member, Sai, as well as Iruka and Gaara, set off once again into the depths of Olympus. Naruto accepted a firearm from Kakashi and cleared his throat to begin, loosening his scarf. He was careful to once again censor his story – Naruto related the motives of Toby but not what Toby said about Konoha. Everyone listened in astonished silence, especially at the news of Itachi's aid (Sasuke's expression was darker than a storm) and their escape on wolves. Naruto made sure to explain the reason for Orochimaru's presence.

"He was not with Akatsuki at all?" Sakura said, unsure.

"No. He simply wanted the Carriers. That's what the boys with him were for. One had great strength and the other could capture people with his own bones – a detainment team. But they hadn't counted on Iruka having mad knife skills," Naruto grinned at the man. "Now that I think of it, it all makes sense. When I still lived with him, he was always disappearing somewhere… not that I minded. Turns out he wanted to, uh, harness our powers for himself, without the threat of Akatsuki or Konoha."

"It is a shame," Iruka said quietly. "I do not know when Orochimaru became so… corrupted. He was a loyal Konoha soldier, once. To think that one of the Great Warriors…"

To think that this mountain housed such power, and drove men insane in their attempts to have it. There was a heavy silence accompanying their trek. Naruto had not for one instant forgotten the truth about Konoha. But he wondered suddenly – did the others know? Did they believe the same thing he used to – that Konoha had no previous attachment to Akatsuki? Kakashi must know, and he knew Tsunade and Jiraiya were definitely involved. But Sasuke? Sakura? Sai? Had Sai not mentioned long ago that files pertaining to Konoha's history were wiped blank? Who, exactly, had been responsible for the murder of his parents?

Was any of it even true?

OH YES, Nine said with glee. Naruto stumbled.

Can't trust you either, he hissed mentally.

I thought you wanted me to talk?

I liked you better when you were silent. Then he fiercely shut the demon out from his thoughts.

"Naruto?" Kakashi inquired.

"Right, right. So after that, well, we simply walked our asses off until we found you. The end."

"Ah. Then why is detonating Olympus not a good idea?" Iruka frowned. Naruto turned. He put his thoughts in place and tried to explain what he had finally understood.

"Because then all the demons would be free to roam the Earth once again. The existence of demons relies on their containers, and while they are in them they shaped like their container. They are only shaped liked themselves once they are free of the container. Destroying Olympus would just kill whatever physical power is trying to seal away the demons, and release whatever demons already sleep inside it."

Sasuke's pale complexion was lighter than usual, even in the eerie gloom. "So what you're saying is that Olympus is physical, the demons are not. Wouldn't Olympus be the same as a Carrier – a physical link that holds the demon? Therefore killing Olympus would kill all demons?"

"No. Carriers are containers, though there is a link inside us, whatever it is, however it was that we had the demons tied to us. I don't know that." He shook his head and trailed his hand against the cold wall, felt the rigidity and imperfections of the ice. "But Olympus is like a mother – her womb keeps the child inside but the child eventually separates and sustains itself. After birth the mother can try to hold the child in her arms, but the child can escape them." Naruto pressed his hand into it firmly. The freezing contact bit into his skin. "Olympus is not the enemy."

"Kind thoughts," A new voice said. "Eloquent." The entire group turned to meet it.

Toby stood in the middle of their path. "Too bad you will both succumb to the mother." He raised his arm to produce a warp portal. "Enough play, Carriers. You will return to your proper place."

Everyone charged.

**To Be Continued**


	18. Chapter 18

Sakura got to him first.

Feinting to the right, she delivered a rib-cracking kick that sent Toby flying back a few meters, obviously not expecting her raw power. Iruka was right behind her, launching three throwing knives straight for Toby's heart, lung, and jugular. Gaara sent a punch of energy straight to his abdomen and Sasuke released a salvo of bullets whenever he had a clear shot. Naruto and Sai did the same. Their combined attacks should have been instantly effective.

They were not. All of the subsequent attacks after Sakura's seemed to do absolutely nothing. It looked like Toby either absorbed the physical hits or let them pass completely through him. Whatever was happening, he certainly wasn't getting hurt. He didn't attack – he did not have a chance to – but Konoha's offensive was clearly useless. Despite this the maelstrom of battle continued while artillery dropped back for support. Though they saw it was futile, Konoha at least kept attacking with such timing that Toby never had time to retaliate.

"Keep him busy!" Kakashi cried to the others while crouching beside Naruto and Sasuke, both waiting for another clear shot, their guns hoisted and waiting. "Naruto, can you use your wind attack?"

"Not in close quarters like this!"

"Then I'll make you room. All of you - Sasuke, Gaara, Sai; combine your energy."

"When?" Sasuke grit his teeth, clearly thinking what they all remembered from Naruto's story. If they gave Toby too wide a window to act, they were doomed. He wouldn't even have to kill them; simply separate them.

"In a few moments. Be ready." In an instant Kakashi was gone, using his superhuman speed to flank Sakura and Iruka. Sakura's blows definitely landed on Toby, but he ignored them as if they were no more than pats while actively dodging Iruka's and now Kakashi's blows. Sakura's hit had connected before, and clearly done damage… so what changed? Naruto squinted. There had to be a way to defeat this guy…

"Focus," Sasuke hissed beside him, having ditched his gun for a handful of blue plasma, crackling as it expanded, an attack Naruto had never seen before. But this time he took the advice and concentrated on his own energy.

Stay back, fox…

He couldn't risk a Rasengan, but that wasn't his only trick. He could manage small bullets of power as well.

Gaara and Sai, too, were preparing. The unearthly hum of power was almost audible now. There was so much blood pumping through Naruto's body that he almost felt excited. Wait for it… gather more power… …Forcing the mental river toward him, Naruto melded together his energy while waiting for their chance to strike.

Then Sakura, Iruka, and Kakashi simultaneously dropped back and left Toby exposed for just a second. Taking their cue, all four released their blasts in Toby's direction. The combined power would surely kill him immediately… Waves of yellow, fires of red, lighting of blue and creatures of black charged and hit Toby all at once, expanding and hiding him from sight. Upon contact the energy became a blast of light so strong that Naruto had to look away. For a moment he thought they had finally done it. Then… the light disappeared as if never there, and Toby stood, unharmed, alone in the mouth of the passage. There was not a crack in his infuriatingly orange mask.

Of course it wouldn't be that easy, Naruto complained inwardly.

"That's enough!" Toby barked. His voice definitely sounded angry.

Immediately, Sakura charged to prevent him any opportunity. Toby raised a forearm to block her devastating kick, quickly used his other hand to grab her leg, and twisted it to send her violently to the floor. Hitting her shoulder first, her head bounced unpleasantly off the icy ground. It made a dull thud sound and Sakura lay still.

With a yell of rage, Naruto leaped over Kakashi and without thinking summoned a circular disc of cutting wind. He hadn't been the only one to react, for Sasuke was right behind him with his sword unsheathed and singing as it cut across the air. Naruto pummeled Toby with his wind saw while Sasuke also kept him on the defensive. Together they forced Toby further inside, away from Sakura, who was being helped upright by Kakashi.

Naruto caught Sasuke's eye. They split apart and flattened themselves against the cold wall while the others took the opportunity to overpower Toby with all their attacks. Naruto started to see what Toby was doing – he did not absorb the blows like he thought, but instead disappeared for a mere instant while the attack passed through him and disintegrated – like the absence of his body became a portal that teleported the attacks somewhere useless, and then he reappeared again. Naruto could only tell because he was starting to flicker since he was disappearing so much. Naruto circled behind him and Sasuke attacked from the side. His long sword gave him limited range of attack but his goal was not damage, it was distraction.

It was a bullet from Iruka that did it. It caught Toby where his mouth should be and sent him stumbling backward, chips of his mask flying off. In the same second Naruto grabbed his knife from its sheath and slashed at Toby's torso, protected by nothing but his dark cloud-patterned robe. Blood flew from Naruto's knife and splattered on the fluorescent walls. The cut was not deep enough but it was a good sign nonetheless.

"A time limit," Naruto hissed to Sasuke as they dropped back to allow artillery another clear view.

"I knew he couldn't keep it up forever," Sasuke agreed, sheathing his katana. "How long did he last?"

"Five minutes," Naruto said as he charged forward again, keeping Toby occupied from all sides.

"I'm getting angry, Konoha!" raged Toby. "You can't run forever, Carriers - are going to have to do this the hard way?"

Gaara gave a wild "Hah!" and aimed another canon ball of energy, red sparks swirling around him.

Toby really had reached the limit of his patience. He raised his arms and totally ignored the bullets flying toward him, accepting the damage without protest – he was too busy conjuring a massive portal above him. It was pitch black, like wisps of clouds stained with ink swirling around themselves between his hands.

"Gaara! Naruto! STAY BACK!" Kakashi cried, reaching to lower his eye patch.

But Toby stood between Sasuke and Naruto and everyone else. Gaara was forced back as Sakura, Sai and Iruka moved in front of him, but Naruto would not allow Sasuke to stand in front of him – even if to protect him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke yelled as Naruto kept trying to push him aside. From Toby's other side the attacks continued, and hit their target – blood now dripped openly from Toby's already dark robes, but still he concentrated on the floating wormhole overhead. The others realized their chance and prepared for another massive joint attack, and Kakashi had pulled off his eye patch, but Naruto couldn't tell what else was happening because – fucking Sasuke kept shoving him backward – Toby spread his arms wide and, without ceremony, the portal expanded and swallowed him.

This time it was like being sucked into a wind tunnel at a fatal velocity. There was no white room, just the intense wind. Naruto had no time to grab anything to hold on to, or even to open his mouth to yell – he felt only a powerful tug on every part of his skin, like it was being ripped off him, incredible noise between his ears, shouting, roaring, freezing water in his veins –

And disappeared.

*

Then there was noise and light again and Naruto realized he was falling.

There was no time to think, so he did what he could without even looking at his surroundings – make himself stop falling. Flailing, his arm smacked against something definitely solid and irregular. His fingers scraped at the wall for a ledge to hold on to. As he plummeted downward – the skin of his fingers sliced and his nails almost ripped off – he eventually found a handhold. He could not help his scream as his weight made something RIP and CRACK in his shoulders, the rest of him slamming against the wall painfully. At least he was no longer plummeting to his death.

He looked up and saw something falling straight toward him. That something was also yelling. Instinctively he released his hold of the ledge with one arm and reached out. As it plummeted just past him Naruto clawed out for something to hold on to – he caught an armpit, but the shape slipped away, but by some miracle Naruto managed to hold on to a hand, though his remaining shoulder groaned under twice the tension. Shocks of pain jolted up his arm and shoulder, but Naruto managed to ignore them in favour of Sasuke, gasping and dangling one clasped hand away from the blackness beneath them.

They heard another thud and not far above them Gaara had managed to find both hand and feet support, flattening himself against the ice wall, a trail of blood above him marking his descent. Good thing they'd appeared somewhat close to the walls.

"ALRIGHT?" Naruto yelled at them both. His fingers were already cramping and the slice of a ledge was cutting into his palm. His own blood dripped on his forehead.

Gaara did not move, perhaps in fear of becoming unstable.

"Naruto," Sasuke groaned, looking down.

Naruto did the same, and wished he hadn't.

Beneath them was not infinite space as Naruto had presumed, but a moving shape. They were not too far above it that Naruto could not see that the ice hole gradually sloped inward to form what looked like lips and teeth framing an open, gaping mouth. Smooth ledges formed the lips, spread wide outside of jagged spikes resembling teeth, and underneath those moved a serpent-like shape that could not be anything other than a tongue. Past the tongue was nothing but a dark hole. The mouth moved a little, expanding to suck in air – the powerful force that aided gravity in claiming anything that fell into the chasm. This must be the very same chasm they had fought around at the beginning. And if the bottom was the mouth, then the walls must be the flesh, for it occasionally pulsed and twinged like something was coursing through it, just beneath the surface they clung to.

This had to be the core of Olympus, and it was hungry.

Just then an ominous crack sounded above Naruto's head. Straining his neck he could see slivers of breaking ice snaking out from his handhold. The weight was too much.

"Naruto!" Gaara called in warning, turning his head back to look at them from across the chasm.

As if there were not enough distractions, Naruto noticed what was happening much farther up at the mouth of the hole. Toby stood, staring down at them. There was a far-off yell and something forced Toby to jerk back. Naruto heard the echo of gunfire.

"Okay," Naruto gasped out. "So this looks pretty bad but apparently Konoha's right up there, trying to help us, so all we have to do is sit tight and wait for rescue."

There was another crack above him. Blood dripped into Naruto's eyes. He had a stomach and head ache, but he knew it was because of Nine, scrambling with panic at being so close to the core.

"Naruto, let go!" Sasuke called from below. Naruto ignored that like he ignored his bodily injuries.

Above them a lot of action was going on. Whether some Konoha cell had spotted them or they were just trying to eliminate Toby, they were attacking him relentlessly, according to the echoes of warfare sounding above them. But Toby was up to something as always – Naruto could see him returning to stand over the chasm and his arms were again spread out, but instead of a portal, a strange shimmering force expanded from his hands and grew to cover the entire opening of the chasm.

"He's stopping Konoha from helping us!" Gaara yelled, his voice cracking with fury.

"Gaara, do you have enough room to attack that shield?" Sasuke shouted to him. Gaara moved slightly, testing his hold. He relinquished one arm and, trembling, conjured a swirling, tangible mass of energy. He threw his arm back and launched the ball straight up. The mouth beneath them expanded again and sucked in air, but Gaara's attack was faster and struck the shield. It sizzled as it made contact and managed to burn a hole through it.

Their effort was useless. They saw other shapes congregating around the hole, all dressed in dark robes that Naruto presumed had those stupid cloud patterns. Apparently, all of Akatsuki had gathered to watch them die, regardless of the battle right at their back. The robed people raised their arms like Toby and the colourless shield started to become a murky grey as it healed and thickened. Naruto would have cursed aloud but, at that moment, another robed figure could be seen through the shield. This one did not enhance the shield, but instead turned to attack the main figure, Toby himself.

Under direct attack Toby could not focus on the shield, and Naruto could see the shield weakening a bit as Toby stopped projecting it, letting the other members of Akatsuki uphold it while he fought. Though the sound was cut off, he could still faintly hear the general cacophony of battle.

Naruto knew it was Itachi, and felt that perhaps they had a chance after all. That is, until –

CRACK

This time an entire portion of the ledge cracked off and tilted, making Naruto slide down slightly. Only the effect was magnified for Sasuke, who still dangled helplessly mere meters above the core of Olympus.

"Naruto," Sasuke shouted again, rather calmly. "Let go."

"Shut up," Naruto yelled down, and focused on freezing his grip on the ledge. His fingers were already numb, his blood freezing completely solid bright red down his arm and on his face. From across them Gaara could do nothing but watch.

The ledge slipped again, and shards of ice fell into the mouth. It did not react to the minuscule contact, but continued to move open and closed as if eagerly waiting for them. The air that escaped it, coming from who knows where, was like a breath of a monster. Only it was the coldest thing Naruto had ever experienced, and that was saying a lot.

"LET GO!" Sasuke was roaring now. He was even slackening his grip on Naruto's hand. "NOW, WHILE YOU CAN STILL HOLD!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Naruto yelled down, tightening his grip to compensate. His heart had never beat this fast. "WE'RE GOING TO LIVE THROUGH –"

But the ledge could tolerate no more, and the whole thing snapped off. Naruto fell for exactly one second, before slamming down on Sasuke, who had landed on something delightfully solid right beneath them that hadn't been there before.

That was because Gaara had used his power to gouge a substantial chunk of ice from the wall and throw it straight across, digging itself into the wall. Only, in his efforts, he had twisted around and lost his footing.

By the time Naruto had realized this and moved to help him, Gaara was already plummeting straight for the gaping mouth. Naruto did not even have time to see Gaara's last expression. In one moment, Gaara fell past the waiting teeth and they slammed closed behind him, making every wall in the mountain tremble. Then a faint glow started and the mouth opened again – black and empty – releasing the glow. The faint light raced up the walls, past Naruto and Sasuke, disappearing within moments out the chasm and reaching across every speck of ice in the entire mountain.

Then nothing. No cry, no blood. Nothing.

Gaara was dead, and his demon had been returned to Olympus.

Naruto made a halted gagging sound, staring sightlessly at the open mouth. Something burned behind his eyes.

Strong fingers dug into his arm and turned him around forcefully. Naruto found himself staring straight at Sasuke, wild-eyed.

"Stay calm," Sasuke's eyes starting to turn mysteriously red. "Naruto. Stay. Calm."

What fucking stupid words, Naruto thought distantly, seeing Sasuke's leg twisted in a disgusting angle beneath him. They were both so battered and bruised, so broken and bleeding. The fire burned stronger behind Naruto's eyes. His vision started misting. He had every reason not to stay calm. His parents were dead, Orochimaru was dead, Gaara was dead, Kakashi and Iruka and Sakura were probably dead too and Tsunade and Jiraiya had lied to him and he was a killer and he was tired of being manipulated and what was the fucking point, they were all going to die anyway.

His head was forced back by Sasuke's fist. He must have punched him. Naruto must have spoken out loud. He was trembling violently – both of them were.

"It's easier, Sasuke," Naruto found himself saying.

Sasuke's eyes were a dark red and his mouth opened like he was going to say something. But nothing came out. Instead the fingers dug into his arms again and pulled him forward. His limp mouth crashed against Sasuke's savage teeth, which dug into his lips and opened cracked wounds. Sasuke's nose was frigid against his cheek as Sasuke kissed him, eyes shut. Tears spilled down Naruto's cheeks, temporarily warm against the frozen skin, spilling down to touch Sasuke's nose and their mouths. A soundless sob bubbled in Naruto's chest and more tears spilled. Sasuke pressed a hand against Naruto's neck, forcing him closer, moving so that their mouths fit. Naruto gave in, closed his eyes, and pressed his mouth back against Sasuke's. His breath was warm on his face.

But there was little comfort to be gained from the cold mesh of lips. It was chaste, as kisses went. Above them, the battle raged. Naruto thought, vaguely, that if this had happened at any other time before now, he would have been overjoyed.

Now, he just felt dead, inside and out.

The kiss did not last much longer. Silently Sasuke broke it and pushed Naruto back. He looked hard at him, and Naruto said nothing under the scrutiny.

"Coward," Sasuke said softly.

Naruto could feel blood pulsing in his lips, stinging from open cuts and blood that probably wasn't his. He licked them and they stung even more.

"No," He started, but did not know where to go from there.

Another crack sounded, and the slab they rested on was obviously not as strong as they had hoped. Again ice began to fray and chip, and the slab began to tilt downward. Naruto and Sasuke immediately grabbed each other, and Naruto looked up – there were less people standing over them casting the shield, and the battle was still raging, but he could not spare another thought to figuring out what was going on.

"Find something to hold on to!" Sasuke said urgently, pulling Naruto against the wall. His fingers searched for any indent to support them. Naruto was the closest to the mouth – as the slab violently fell apart, Sasuke caught hold but Naruto felt himself tilting backward. It was a curious feeling, falling backward. He could see Sasuke turn and reach one arm toward him, and Naruto reached to meet it. Their fingertips touched, slid, and then Naruto fell head over heels toward the gaping mouth.

Sasuke was getting smaller –

Chunks of ice were falling around him –

He opened his mouth to yell -

The walls around him were growing -

Air stung his back -

Then he fell past the grinning teeth and saw only darkness as they closed after him. He felt every nerve, every cell in his body shriek and deform, expanding, shrinking, exploding… There was a movement at his collar and something slipped out, shining, blazing hot – it was a crystal tied to a string… a necklace…

*

He was somewhere else again.

There was nothing beside him, or above him, or underneath or behind him. Perhaps there was truly nothing, or there was a thick white in all directions. But there was something in front of him. Or rather, some things.

There were two doors, side by side. They held the only colour he could see – one a light blue and the other a darker navy blue. He squinted and looked closer – it was not blue but a mesh of colours, shifting and blending and separating continuously. It reminded him of a lighthouse he saw once, though he couldn't place where.

He stood in front of the lighter blue door. It became transparent! The blue faded to become bright shapes and sunshine. Distant laughter drifted through the void space. His heart ached – he wanted to be there, in the sun.

Regretfully, he then turned to the other door and stood in front of it. The colours darkened, or rather, the door became transparent to allow sight into the darkness behind it. It looked like a passage, going as far as he could see. The perspective dwindled into nothing. There was no laughter from this door.

He stepped back, looking at both doors.

The answer was obvious. There can be no other.

He stood before the light blue door and reached for the simple handle. It was warm and welcoming. He had a hard time letting go, but he did and brought his hand to his lips, pressing them hard.

It was his last moment of hesitation. He went again to the dark door and opened it, stepping inside. The thick white was replaced with thick black as the door closed shut behind him.

The path was long and dark.

Naruto died.


	19. Chapter 19

In a blanket of white, something stirred.

The body moved clumsily, turning itself over. An eye opened; it was brilliant red. Slowly it sat up amongst the deep snow, shaking its head furiously and wiping flakes off itself. Its hands bore sharpened nails that resembled claws. There were six smooth scars on its face, three on each side, symmetrical and thin. The eyes blinked. Then sharp fangs were visible as it grinned with realization.

It was outside Olympus.

Kyuubi was free.

The ninth demon sluggishly rose to its feet. It was the last, the only - and it was free. Yes, it was cold, but the hot blood coursing through it would sustain it for now. It looked around – the storm was stronger than ever, desperate and wailing. It would be impossible to find the way by sight alone, for the gale and snow obscured his vision almost to the point of blindness. Yet Kyuubi had more than sight to rely on.

Kyuubi simply had to resist the pull.

Its wicked claws lifted the crystal pendant from its neck. There was no more irritating heat emanating from it – it was cold and useless, its magic emptied. It was tucked back into the frayed garment.

"Served your purpose," Kyuubi said to it, the words stolen by the wind right out of the mouth. He spoke anyway. "I was victorious in the end."

There would be a long way to go until it was far enough from Olympus for its liking. Yet there was all the time in the world, because Kyuubi was free now.

Unbeknownst to it, a small chip was still resting inside the long-empty ammo pouch. And much farther away, leagues from Kyuubi, a tower received the signal.

*

He was in the company of a friend.

Her auburn hair was so captivating; he never failed to tell her she was pretty. When she walked into the sun it was like a crown of fire rested on her head. It was like being in the company of a princess. She liked hearing that.

He was walking her home, telling her it would be alright because he'd gone this way before. Weren't the trees so much prettier with the setting sun glimpsed between them, than the asphalt and tires of her usual path?

When she smiled at him, Naruto was happy.

The rustling of the forest was peaceful, and distantly they could hear the other chirps and calls of nature. But a certain sound – heavy, and brutal - caught Naruto's ears and he stopped, uncertain. She stopped with him, starting to look back and opening her mouth to ask him something. Then Naruto discovered what the sound was.

Four men were circling around them, stepping out from behind trees and the large boulder to their left. None of them looked friendly, but one in particular was frightening – his eyes were small compared to the rest of his body which was muscular and tall. They were mouse eyes, dark and wet. He approached them.

Even his voice was unpleasant. It was scratchy and nasal. "Kiddies," he said, grinning dirty teeth, and immediately Naruto hated him.

She grabbed on to his arm and did not let go, looking fearfully over her shoulder to the others behind her. Naruto tried to stand tall. "Go away," he said.

Two others laughed, Mouse-eyes just grinned. "Be nice, kiddie. Your mama told me to come get you. She's hurt real bad. Don't you want to see your mama?"

Naruto frowned. "My mom's been dead."

His friend gripped his arm tighter, and Naruto looked around – the other three were closing in on them. Naruto took a step away, unwittingly toward Mouse-eyes. Mouse-eyes dropped the grin.

"I wasn't talkin' a you, kiddie. I was talkin' to pretty lady over there. Your mama's hurt, lady… crying out for help…"

"Don't believe him," Naruto urged. "He's lying!" She nodded faintly.

"I don't believe you!" She said timidly.

Mouse-eyes straightened immediately. "Well, that's that," he shrugged. "It's gonna be rough, then."

Someone grabbed Naruto by the shoulder, he lost his hold on his friend because someone had grabbed her as well. He reacted viciously, trying to twist out of the hold, but then two men were restraining him, pulling at his collar. He looked at his friend – she stood still, looking at him fearfully, while the man behind her leered at him.

Mouse-eyes looked down at them. "Now you're gonna walk, kiddies. No funny stuff, if you try something you'll regret it. That means no screaming, no running. Unless you want me to hold your hand?" They all laughed.

Someone shoved him forward and he stumbled before righting himself and walking. Beside him she walked quietly as well, not meeting his eyes or reacting when he tried to subtly message her. Naruto dropped his head, ashamed. He was too scared to fight, and if he ran he'd have to leave her behind. He would never do that.

It was a long way. They foraged deep into the forest, much farther than Naruto had ever cared to explore. He often stumbled or tripped, and when he did an unforgiving hand righted him and marched him onward.

The sun was setting.

Within view came a small wooden structure, the kind of one-room hovel never intended to be inhabited year-round. One wall was missing entirely. The two children were roughly pushed inside, wincing as their hands scraped the worn floor, adorned with animal droppings and leaves. He and his friend cowered in the corner, his back digging into the metal door of a decrepit refrigerator. The three men – faceless except for their evil expressions of glee – stood in front of all escape routes while Mouse-eyes followed them inside. That was when Naruto started being afraid.

*

Kyuubi slugged through the world of white. The wind always worked against the demon, no matter what direction it chose. Kyuubi growled and tightened the hood around its face. At this pace it would take him days to escape the storm, as desperate as it was to drag him back.

It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for this piercing headache that had persisted since Kyuubi awoke. It was much more intense now though, feeling less like its engorged brain was pushing against its skull, but more like it was writhing in agony.

It meant the other was still alive, somewhere in there.

Kyuubi just snorted angrily and kept fighting through the waist-deep snow. Kyuubi was in control now. It would not let go ever again.

Mouse-eyes studied them.

"Our van is coming in an hour. We could sit tight and wait… or we could play a game. You like games, lady?"

She was too scared to reply, instead pushing her face into Naruto's shoulder.

It made Mouse-eyes angry. "I said, do you like games, lady? Answer me when I talk to you."

Naruto glared at the man, who glared back as his friend said nothing. He started on them angrily, raising a hand. Naruto, who saw what was coming, held her against him protectively. "Don't touch her!"

Mouse-eyes lowered his hand but leaned over them. "I never did like children," he glowered. "I won't have to deal with you much longer, but still… respect your elders, kiddie. I'm all for beating respect into someone, aren't I?" He asked around him. His accomplices laughed and hooted in agreement. More quietly, he said, "Turn your face to me, girl."

Nothing.

"I SAID, TURN YOUR FACE!" Yelled Mouse-eyes. Though Naruto held her as tight as possible, she slowly turned to face him.

"Pretty," he smiled. It was not a good smile. "And not too young."

Whatever that meant, the other three hollered and laughed even harder. One of them suggested, "You could gag her with his shirt. Tie her up while we play."

Another one said, "If we cut her up light, they'll heal sooner and we'll get a better price for 'er. Tell 'em it's cause she tried to fight."

Mouse-eyes was laughing with them. "And the boy?"

"We can play with him too. Ace here wouldn't mind, eh?" Said one, elbowing the other called Ace. He was looking at Naruto with a strange sort of glee on his face.

One of them handed Mouse-eyes a ham-cutting knife, the long toothy kind. He kneeled in front of them, waving the knife in their faces. There was not much light, but he could see it clearly. It was terrifying.

"It hurts a lot more with this. But don't bother screaming, we're totally alone here. And now… ladies first…" Mouse-eyes reached for her, his large fingers trying to pry off Naruto's. Instinctively, Naruto leaned forward and buried his teeth in them. The bite was so savage that he felt his teeth slip through flesh.

Mouse-eyes screamed and his knife slashed toward them.

*

The mountain was almost deserted.

Bodies were strewn about, all of them Konoha operatives. Injuries varied dramatically, all of them fatal. The lucky ones were those missing entire limbs who had bled out – the unlucky ones had morsels of flesh bitten off by hundreds of crazed rats, their eyeballs chewed through and all of their soft flesh thoroughly eaten. They only died when backing into other, larger Guards – or when, in their screaming pain, they stumbled over the edge of the chasm. Enormous amounts of blood were splattered all across the inside, making the already slippery floor sticky with congealing and frozen blood and gore. Bits of flesh, cloth, and equipment littered the scene of carnage.

To their credit, not one Guard remained. All living injured soldiers had already been evacuated, while only the capable stayed.

Including Sasuke.

He paid no heed to the talk behind him, staring only at the deep hole – so deep he could not see the mouth, but he felt its phantom breath across his face. The mouth that had swallowed Gaara… Gaara that had died to save them…

Sasuke breathed in deep. No, just to save Naruto.

And that had been for nothing. Minutes after Naruto's fall, the shield had disappeared, Akatsuki had been distracted, and Sasuke had been rescued while Tsunade herself fought Toby tooth and nail, trying to stop him escaping. All for nothing.

Someone gripped him by the hood and pulled him backward. "Get back. You're little use dead." Kakashi's voice said.

"What's there left to do?" Sasuke snapped, turning to face the few others. "We've lost."

"We haven't." Sasuke glared at his older brother, still in Akatsuki robes, who met the burning eyes without flinching. "As of now, Akatsuki would not have had enough time to do anything. Though they've run away, probably back into their base, I can lead us back there. We can still eliminate those we can." Itachi then looked at Tsunade for agreement.

She looked tired. Sasuke was still furious at the presence of his brother, but seeing Tsunade distracted him. He didn't know how she'd managed to hide it before, but now her age was truly showing. Her eyes, too, rested on the rim of the dark pit. Tsunade nodded and looked up at everyone. "We have not lost. Though we lost a lot of our numbers, we are by no means defeated. Jiraiya – go back to base, tell Sarutobi I've left you in charge. Tell him about Orochimaru as well. As for routine operations – command as you see fit. We will not allow low morale. Leave the official declarations to me when I get back."

The large man said nothing. He simply turned, grabbed a locator unit from his pocket, and disappeared through one of the many entrances. Sasuke remembered him speaking with Naruto quite often. The two must have been close.

"As for the rest of us – we have enough to hold our own. We'll split up and finish the sweep. If Akatsuki truly has retreated to their base, then we'll return immediately and hold a war council with the other nations. Now, your cells - Tenten, Sakura, and Lee. Neji, Sasuke, and Iruka. Shikamaru, Itachi, Kakashi, and Sai…"

She listed the names of everyone present and the groups formed and left. As they were heading out, Iruka called, "Wait."

Everyone stopped and looked at Iruka, who was peering down at a device. It looked like a transmitter, but the design was different from Konoha's.

"Where did you get that?" Tsunade asked. Iruka frowned.

"Jiraiya gave it to me right before we got back here, he didn't have time to explain." He squinted at the different radars. "There's something moving out there…"

Itachi came back to stand beside him. "Interesting. Orochimaru admitted tracking the Carriers using chips he had placed inside their uniforms. This must be the transmitter unit he was using."

"Well," Iruka started slowly. "One of those chips is moving away from Olympus, passing right by a tower."

There was silence.

"It could be Naruto," said Sasuke immediately. It didn't make sense… but it could only be…

"It could be Akatsuki," Shikamaru warned.

"We don't know who it is," Tsunade snapped. "But we've got to take care of them. Someone running away from Olympus… if it's not Akatsuki, then it's a spy, maybe for Orochimaru, deserting now that he's dead." She pointed at several people. "Sasuke, Neji, Kakashi – forget the sweep. Get out, grab a vehicle, find them, and bring them to base."

Sai stalled. "Sir," he began. "If it really is one of the Carriers, shouldn't I-"

"No," she said heavily. "Sai, your mission was to observe and protect the Carriers. You have already failed."

Though Sai's expression was always neutral, this time it looked slightly strained. "I have always reported faithfully. I alerted you to Naruto's breach of security and the emergence of Nine-"

"That's enough. Sai, we'll evaluate your mission later. For now, you're needed here, in Olympus. Do not question me again."

Sai was frozen for a moment, then he stiffly nodded and left.

"The rest of you – go."

Sasuke felt breathless.

The knife caught her under the eye, but it was jagged and did not cut cleanly. A chunk of her flesh came off and stuck to the knife. Drops of her blood landed on his nose.

A fist was beating against Naruto's head, then on his forehead, then crushing his nose. Naruto let go, spitting out the taste of the man's filthy skin. As soon as he did, another fist caught him in the mouth, making his own teeth slice his lips. The other men were approaching too, and she was screaming, rivulets of red dripping down her cheek…

Something within him stirred…

DO YOU WANT THIS?

No…

Mouse-eyes was livid. He reached for them again, the knife clutched tight in his hands. "I'll fucking rape you, kid." He promised.

No…

He grabbed Naruto by the collar and smashed his head backward, into the metal door. Naruto's vision was getting blurry. Mouse-eyes was still holding him. There was a ripping sound and his shirt felt looser. Naruto struggled, but strong arms held down his limbs. More screaming.

"Someone shut her up!"

The screaming was immediately muffled.

Then the large fingers started on his pants.

LET ME HELP

"Don't scream, kid," said Mouse-eyes, like it was the funniest thing in the world. Naruto lost his eyesight for a moment, and when it came back it was tinged red.

"FILTH." said a voice coming from Naruto's throat. It was not his.

Mouse-eyes stopped, but the girl was still sobbing through her gag. Nervous, he turned his attention to her and kicked her viciously in the stomach. She doubled over, sobbing hysterically. Mouse-eyes raised his foot to stomp on her head – but he never got the chance.

He was distracted by the agonized screech of one of his men. Naruto taken his arm and violently twisted it on its own joint, snapping it at the shoulder. Another man tried to punch him, but Naruto grabbed the fist in his own and leered right back at its owner.

"HUMANS," he said. "SO WEAK." And crushed it.

The knuckles crunched delightfully under his grip, the man trying vainly to escape the clutch while hollering and yelling. To no avail. Naruto placed his thumb over the man's right eye and pressed in hard.

But a movement to his left caught his attention – Naruto let go of the man, dodged to the right, and missed the knife aimed for him. Mouse-eyes was livid, breathing heavily.

"Piece of shit – got you cornered, little animal…"

Naruto grinned at him and pointed out into the woods. Mouse-eyes refused to look. "I'm not stupid, you're not getting away!"

"YOU ARE ALONE," Naruto said. Humans had abysmal night vision, he could not see in the darkness that his three companions were running off, tearing through the forest, howling.

"Come back!" Mouse-eyes yelled after them, squinting in the dark. Frantic, he turned back to Naruto. "And YOU! What the hell are YOU!"

Naruto's red eyes peered back at him calmly. "DO YOU BELIEVE IN ANGELS?"

"What the – what the hell are you talking about…" There was a quiver in his voice. He raised the knife again, half-heartedly.

"IF YOU BELIEVE IN ANGELS THEN YOU MUST, TOO, BELIEVE IN DEMONS."

Mouse-eyes almost replied, but then his eyes widened and his jaw went slack. Against the adjacent wall, she still cried past her gag.

Naruto took a step forward.

"YOU CANNOT OUTRUN ME."

Mouse-eyes took a step back.

"YOU CANNOT FIGHT ME."

She cried harder than ever.

"LET ME KILL YOU…"

Naruto jumped.

*

Kyuubi winced. The headache was worse than ever, screaming and twitching like some dying thing.

"You shut me away-" a flurry of snowflakes landed in the open mouth – "so I shut you away."

The way was long and painful, but Kyuubi was free.

Naruto was cold.

Night had long set, and here the homes were more secluded, set farther apart and unfriendly. There was no one outside.

At least the voice and the red were gone now.

The night breeze was even more pronounced on his revealed skin, the shirt hanging loosely off one shoulder. There was something lodged under his fingernails – it was uncomfortable but he didn't want to touch himself at all. Last time he'd found something caught in his hair, what he had discovered made him vomit, leaning by the side of the road until the sickness passed. He still had the taste in his mouth. The things clinging to him were making him itchy…

He shivered. The mansion was just up ahead…

The gate loomed closer as he walked, the Circling Snake as unfriendly as it had even been – but for once in his life he was glad to see it. He slowly made his way to the giant house, stopping at the doorway.

What would he do? What had happened? Why was he covered in…

Her scream bounced inside his skull, the pitch so high and petrified as she fled from him…

Trembling he reached for the doorknob, but it twisted before him. The door opened – Orochimaru stood behind it.

Naruto looked up at him, tears streaming from his face, wetting the dried splatters of blood. Slowly he raised his other hand, opening it. Resting on his palm was a partial set of upper teeth, the gums dripping off and the chipped bone cutting into his flesh.

Orochimaru smiled.

To Be Continued


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Soundtrack: Florence and the Machine – Cosmic Love, Woodkid – Iron, Five Finger Death Punch – Far From Home
> 
> Warnings: Some violence.

Naruto woke up. He yawned.

The room was colder than usual, stinging his skin. Everything was dim, throwing him off a little. He still felt half-asleep. With heavy limbs he rose from bed and walked to the door, fully dressed. His hand stilled on the doorknob. No, that couldn't be right. What time was it? He squinted at the digital clock. The numbers were blurred. His eyes were still crusted with sleep. Time to go…

A sloshing sound caught his attention. The floor moved… no, the floor was reflecting something back at him… because it was wet. The room was flooding. His skin told what his eyes could not, that the water was half-way to his knees. He should go. He should really go.

He opened the door. Outside, the hall was dark. Water rushed in. And smelled.

Drip.

Naruto walked.

If he let himself go, he felt like smoke. (Like a ghost. With vapor-fingers, hovering above, he pushed the meat-self forward.) Still half-asleep, then. He rubbed his eyes, catching the scars on his face by accident (they felt normal, painless). He still couldn't see – with the lack of luminance, it was impossible to notice any colour. His nose though, that worked fine. And ugh. What stench. His ears, too, were alright. They flinched as water dripped dripped dripped, just farther down, just a little farther.

Best hurry.

From one step away; drip.

He walked.

From one step away; drip.

And walked.

Drip.

*

"How much further?"

Kakashi replied from the driver's seat, "Ask Sasuke."

A small frustrated sigh. "I was."

"Ten minutes." Sasuke said flatly.

Sakura sat back and stretched her neck. It was stiff from staring out the window. Little good that did – but it was better than staring at each other.

The vehicle felt empty.

Sasuke did not even flex his fingers, though they desperately wanted it. His sharp eyes never left their post either. He had more interesting things to occupy him – the unit in his gloved hands showed their progress, second by second. Getting closer.

"Eleven o'clock. You're veering off course."

Kakashi moved the vehicle a little to the left.

'Naruto,' Sasuke thought, 'I kept the necklace because I wanted to keep some warmth.'

Coming… closer.

*

For but a moment, Kyuubi stopped. Ears pricked, dissecting the millions of hisses and moans of the wind, listening…

The demon hissed and pressed on (the way was hard. Every step was the hardest. But not as hard as the one after that). As mentally and physically battered as Kyuubi was, he had still noticed the change in the air. A flicker of sound…

A Guard, possibly. Those brutes did not scare Kyuubi, though it was loathe to expend energy on a fight, when surviving the storm was of utmost importance. Then again… Kyuubi had not fed in so long. The meat would warm him, too.

A clawed finger pressed against sharper teeth. Passable. If the jaw was dislocated, it could take bigger mouthfuls. There was not much strength in it though, so the flesh would have to be torn off by claws first. The chemicals and disease gushing through the Guards' blood would be ineffective against Kyuubi's alien physiology. But no, wait – Kyuubi was in the boy's body. The rules were different now. Kyuubi growled. Ridding the body of pathogens with his own regenerative properties would also waste energy.

"Even dead, you do nothing but hinder me, boy."

No matter; Kyuubi was never one to worry. The situation would resolve itself once it manifested. Let the movement in the night come closer.

*

Drip… drip… DRIP… drip. Drip. DRIP.

Always one step ahead: drip.

And he walked.

Eventually he saw something. A shimmer in the distance. As he approached, the shimmer became metal bars, then became a gate, tall enough to disappear into the dark of the limitless ceiling. It obstructed his path completely, stretching the entire width of the corridor.

This was… familiar…?

Naruto stopped and pressed tentative hands against the metal. No pain, no sensation whatsoever. He squinted to the distance beyond the bars. Nothing. Absolutely nothing, stretching for ever. He carefully slipped his head through and looked closer. More drip drip drips and more nothing. He turned his head slightly left, and his eye did catch something. On the other side, stuck to the center of the middle bar, was a slip of grey. Peering closer, he saw it was a strip of paper. How strange. Too bad it was on the other side; if there were words on it, he'd never be able to read them.

He forgot the paper immediately, peering sadly through the bars. Why were they there? The purpose of a gate was to keep things out, just as much as to keep other things in. So what was on the other side?

Well, he should get going. He had things to do today. Didn't he?

Naruto wasn't sure.

*

"ETA two minutes."

Sakura cracked her knuckles, adjusting her headgear. Everything was torn and bloodied. The fabric of her hood was matted and dark with blood, and scratches adorned her every article clothing. Even her weaponry was nicked and battered. She had taken heavy blows during the battle, but treated herself bravely and without complaint. He was certain her head must feel like splitting apart, and he had definitely noticed her limp. Nonetheless, she would complete their mission with efficiency.

She was an excellent soldier, a formidable opponent, and a strong woman.

But she paled in comparison.

"One minute."

"Ready your weapons. Remember – surround the target and hold fire. We'll evaluate the situation once we see what it is we're chasing." Kakashi plowed through the snow.

*

Lips curled in hatred, Kyuubi saw the pursuers approach from the mist of white. Their lights cut through the blizzard, but gave them away first.

Running was no option. Killing them was. Good. Human flesh would not pose the problem that Guard flesh would. Kyuubi sniffed at the energy signatures. They were familiar…

The Humvee roared straight for Kyuubi, stopping short a few meters away. Kyuubi was poised to pounce for the first figure to emerge from the metal shelter, claws outstretched. But the doors on both sides were kicked open quickly, and the nozzles of guns peered out of the crooks between the door and the car, aimed straight for the demon.

"FREEZE!" A voice roared over the wind. "Identify yourself!"

Kyuubi raised an eyebrow, standing still already. Forms moved behind the door. Another voice called, shocked, "…Naruto?"

The demon truly smiled. It felt good to say, "No."

They were shocked. He could almost smell it. "Nine! Explain this!"

Kyuubi took a step backward.

"I said freeze! Or we'll open fire!"

"I am incapable of freezing," Kyuubi said. "Even my blood boils." Another step, luring them out.

Behind the doors, Sasuke fidgeted. "Sasuke," Kakashi warned. "If it's Nine we're dealing with, we can't afford to fight out there. We're outmatched."

"So we stay still while he runs?" Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Bullshit."

"Sasuke."

"He's getting away, sir. We were ordered to capture him."

Nine was still smiling that evil fucking smile, wearing Naruto's skin but revealing Nine's teeth. Give him back. The lights illuminated Nine in an ethereal way, catching the falling snow and forming a glowing, flickering halo around the demon… while Nine smiled. Right then, Sasuke wanted that abomination dead.

Kakashi's voice sliced across the storm. "Nine. If you move even once more we will incapacitate you."

Before he had even finished speaking, Nine had taken a step back.

"Arms and legs," Kakashi commanded. Sakura and Sasuke obeyed.

Nine moved fast. Two on the right, one on the left… so left first. In one second the demon was on Sasuke, behind the door, claws slashing. Sasuke jumped back to avoid them, the gun suddenly useless in his hands. He couldn't shoot… that was Naruto, he couldn't kill him…

Just as fast, Kakashi was by his side, lashing out with a dagger. Nine moved into the swing to catch Kakashi's wrist and tugged him closer, about to rake his nails into Kakashi's eyes. Before he could, Sakura landed a shot in Nine's shoulder. The demon lurched back and Sasuke kicked out, catching Nine by the side of the knee, making the demon collapse. But his arm shot out and caught Sasuke's gun, dragging Sasuke with it, too surprised to let go. In the instant of the fall, he focused on the claw closing around the smooth metal of the AK-47. The skin was red, and glowing… waves of heat distorted the air around it, making snow hiss and melt without even making contact. There was a crack in the skin… it was flaking off, coming apart… Nine was slowly emerging from his human container.

Then Sasuke was down, the battle continued, and nails finally found his flesh. Sasuke barely felt them, wrenching himself away, twisting out of the intense heat. Snow padded his fall, but made him clumsy and slow. Another gunshot sounded, and Sasuke had a moment enough to right himself. Sakura viciously whipped the butt of her gun against Nine's head, Kakashi following with a precise swipe to the other shoulder, still trying to only keep Nine down. It wasn't working. More skin was flaking off. The surface underneath was black. Where it cracked and burnt away, steam followed, hissing violently in the opposing cold. Naruto had lost his scarf long ago, letting them see a creeping black line starting up Nine's throat.

Sakura twisted and delivered a roundhouse kick to Nine's stomach. The demon went flying backward, but the immense snow depth did little to hinder him. He landed, flipped, and surged back to them in an instant. A hand flew toward them, and though obstructed by the steam and snow, Sasuke could tell it was almost entirely black. It was not aimed for him. A surge of energy repaid Sakura her favor and sent her crashing against the car, landing half inside, her spine hitting the metal. Kakashi reloaded and fired at Nine's leg as it approached the fallen girl to finish her off.

Half of Naruto's face was peeling off, revealing Nine's underneath. Only the scars remained against the black, a deep and violent red. The black grew toward the eyes, flaking faster. A bullet caught Nine in the hip, another right below the knee. He stumbled, but still advanced. Still smiling.

"I will enjoy ripping the flesh from your corpse," Nine informed Kakashi. "The girl too." He smiled at Sasuke. "Him, I want him last, so he can watch."

Sakura still had not risen. Kakashi and Sasuke moved in front of her limp body.

Kakashi spoke above the storm. "Your eyes. It might be the only way."

They both had similar eye abilities. Kakashi's was more practiced and efficient… while Sasuke's was more raw but powerful. He had the power to do so much more than illusions. Sasuke clenched his teeth. "Got it."

Kakashi fell back, supposedly to help Sakura, leaving Sasuke in front. Nine had no choice but to go through him first. The demon lunged. Raising his gun, Sasuke made to shoot - behind him, Kakashi was ready to interfere if need be - instead, Sasuke's eyes activated and caught Nine's just a second before contact, making them both stumble as Sasuke crawled his way inside Nine's head by willpower alone. The mental strain was immense. He left his physical form behind, concentrating all his power. They struggled together, brain against brain, eyes locked… but miraculously, Sasuke shoved his way in and was swallowed by the darkness.

*

The echoes of dripping water stretched forever. There was darkness ahead of him, and darkness behind him.

He was alone.

Sasuke focused. Nine should be nearby. While Sasuke mentally subdued the demon, Kakashi would be securing Nine and preparing to transport the demon back to base. But since they were already here… Sasuke had some questions that wanted answers. Why are you, of all monsters, still alive while Naruto died? I saw the mountain eat you. I saw it. I saw you disappear.

Forward, Sasuke decided. He noticed with distaste that it would only be fitting for a demon's mind to take the appearance of a sewer. The water rose, climbing up his ankles and down again with every step. In the distance he heard only the echo of water. He proceeded to walk for quite some time. There was no time limit to the illusion, but he'd rather not expend all his energy on the technique. It did, after all, come with consequences. Sasuke hurried his pace. Troubling thoughts occupied his mind, almost lulling him with their repetition sometimes. He tried to shake himself clear. He wanted to find Nine. I saw him disappear.

The walls were filthy with muck and slime and other things he'd prefer not thinking about. Pipes ran in every direction, in groups or alone, stretching as far as the walls themselves. Sasuke followed them. And followed. And followed.

Until he was forced to stop. A giant gate blocked his way.

He examined it closer. There was no way to open the humongous thing, no way of slipping through at all. There was something else, too… Stuck in the middle was a slip of paper. Something might have been written on it… it was either a letter or a symbol, something difficult to read. Sasuke didn't bother. He knew, instinctively, what it was.

A seal, making sure those gates never opened. But the seal was on this side… so the gates were to keep whatever was behind it in. Seals were human tools, demons would never bother… With startling clarity Sasuke realized that Nine had once been locked away behind that very gate. What troubled him is that Nine was now outside… and the gate was still closed and sealed. Sasuke glanced behind him, as if that would do any good in the dark. Nine must be back there then… Sasuke had gone in the wrong direction. Except…

Some inner sense told Sasuke there was something urgent about the closed gate. Something was still being locked back. Can't stay too much longer, Sasuke thought, but still he remained. I need to find Nine. I NEED TO KNOW.

So he yelled. It was more of a barked "HEY" but it was as loud as he could manage.

His only reply was the dripping of water.

*

He couldn't remember how he had gotten here. The ghost-self had pushed his meat-self along, daydreaming. Now he was here. Something had startled him out of his daze.

There was door there. It had not been there before. Admittedly, it was hidden amongst the gloom and filth, but surely he would have noticed. It had just appeared there, he was sure. The top of the door had a square opening barred by metal, but it was too dark to see inside. Naruto delicately pressed his ear against the bars.

There was something. Something moving… thin and silvery, it was hard to identify.

No more time to wonder - suddenly two orbs of bright grey appeared behind the bars. Naruto jumped back, terrified, as hands materialized and clasped the bars… but they were disgusting, elongated hands, with black hooks for nails and fur covering every distorted joint. Some sound escaped from Naruto's throat. The hands, thankfully, did not reach out for him. He backed against the opposite wall anyway.

If the eyes were set into a face, Naruto couldn't see it. Just orbs of grey floating among the darkness.

"Naruto..." said in a wheeze, weak and hollow.

He had a voice, too. He could speak. Naruto tried. "Who are you."

The hands gripped the bars very, very tight.

"Mommy."

Naruto looked into the dark. "I don't know where she could be. There's no one else here."

"No. MOMMY. Me." The voice was growing a little stronger, more insistent.

He paused. "I'm sorry. This is a dream, you see… it's hard for me to understand."

"Not a dream… here, for years…"

"I couldn't read the clock, in the room," Naruto babbled on. "And I feel like a ghost. I can't remember. I'm dreaming."

Those grotesque hands released their hold and straightened, reaching for him. Behind them, the eyes never left Naruto's.

"I know, sweetie… let mommy… wake you up."

Naruto stilled. "I'm afraid of the fox. You sound like him."

"There's a reason… for that. Let mommy… explain. My hands… take them."

He felt so weak. "I'm scared to," Naruto admitted.

When the eyes blinked, they disappeared altogether, returning shiny and wet. "Please. Let mommy… show you. Hold you."

With one step forward, Naruto slowly gathered his courage. If not courage, then desperation. He really wanted to wake up, where he could think clearly and stop walking. He fucking hated walking, why was he always walking? Slowly, his hands rose to meet the voice's. The skin was rough and leathery, prickly where the fur started, and clumsy around his because of the large nails. But they were warm, so warm… and they held his so tight…

The warmth spread, racing into his arteries and veins and capillaries. Up his arms, simmering at his elbows, to his shoulders and up his neck as well as down his chest, past his hips and nose and knees and eyes and ankles and toes. Bright spots behind his eyes… clarity in his mind… he could see colour, see the red of the fur and the green of the gloom.

"What is this," He asked softly.

"My love," said the sad voice. A face finally appeared. Furry and elongated, with a snout instead of a nose and hideous black lips, all covered in what could be shimmering red hair. But the eyes… were the most human part of her.

Naruto asked, just for the sake of asking. He couldn't really believe. But… "Mother?"

"My son," The voice said, quavering, breaking. "My son. Strong and handsome, like we knew you'd be."

Naruto shook his head. "What… why?"

A pause as the chimera, part human but mostly fox, gathered her strength to speak.

"Listen carefully my son. There are too many people inside this prison – four of them, I can feel it – and you most of all need to escape." A breath. "But hear me first. Before you were born, when Konoha worked with Akatsuki, I was the Carrier of Nine. You were four days old when Tsunade told me Akatsuki's true intentions. We, we knew that extraction of a demon would not end well for the Carrier, and once they had Nine, they would place him inside a more obedient container. YOU, my son. They planned on using you, and I… I couldn't let that happen. Your father… your sweet father and Tsunade urged me to run. When Akatsuki realized I was missing…" A longer breath. "They gave chase. Your father, and Tsunade, and the Uchihas all did their best, but… in the end, it came down to Minato. Your father…" there her voice broke. Their hands were still clasped together. Naruto squeezed them hard. "…Your father refused to be beaten. Even after the Uchihas were dead, he rose, again and again, to keep Akatsuki at bay while Tsunade and I escaped. He did his best… but it was not enough. Toby, the masked one, he was so fast. Then he found me."

A distorted stretch of lips, moving the damp trail of fur where her tears had slipped. A heartbreaking smile.

"But Nine… Kyuubi and I were together so long, the demon energy was almost fully integrated with mine. When he drew out Nine, right there in the snow, I was not yet dead. A part of me went with him. I have been locked here as long as Nine, shut away even further, as weak as I am. But I've been here, all along."

Another squeeze of hands.

"Before I died, before we ran… I had made Tsunade promise to take care of you. I made her promise to take you far away, from Olympusand Konoha. And she did… but Orochimaru had changed, he wanted your power too… he found the orphanage and for years he kept you for himself. And yet, after all that… here you are. You've returned." Another sad smile. "Full circle. You were born here, after all."

Naruto stood, mouth agape. The warmth had dimmed, leaving him almost cold again. Shaking, he released the hands to reach inside the bars. His thumb touched a long cheek, his fingers fleetingly touching an ear… with tears falling down his face, he gently pressed a kiss between his mother's eyes.

All he could say was, "Mom," whispering it with her fur against his lips.

Those long hands – not grotesque, just sad – traced his face, and it made Naruto grimace and cry harder. "Kushina. My name is Kushina. I love you, son." she said, and Naruto's chest heaved with a silent sob.

"I love you too, Mom."

There was so little room, he couldn't reach her, hold her close and keep her safe like he wanted to. The door…

"Couldn't you leave?" Naruto asked suddenly. "I could get you out."

In the darkness, Kushina shook her head.

"I'm so weak, Naruto. I could not… I only exist, here, because I am so intertwined with Nine. But you… you still have hope, Naruto." She drew back, deadly serious. "There's someone here, Naruto, someone who can help you. You're on the other side of the gates now, but he can let you out."

Naruto frowned, remembering the gate. "But… that gate is for… Nine. Right? So now Nine is… out there?"

"And you're in here. But you still have a chance."

"But… I…" something was nagging at him. Memories were starting to come back. Just a trickle at first, then a gushing torrent, washing over him. His whole life exploded in images before his eyes, flashing through years at a time… week after month after year, until its end. For a second he had a skull-splitting headache, his every nerve sizzled, and then the pain was gone before he could scream, leaving him exhausted and weak.

"Dead…" Naruto gasped for air. "Mom, I can't. I'm dead. I'm dead!"

Her eyes searched him. "No. You're not. You're locked away, not dead. The necklace? Were you wearing it?"

"I… yeah."

She smiled again, thin but there. "It's a reservoir of energy. Somehow, it reversed your and Nine's positions, but if Nine can escape… so can you. Only we can't let Nine stay out there. Whatever you do, Naruto, LOCK HIM BACK IN. Letting a demon loose in the world is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Trust me, Naruto. There is nothing good or decent about that demon. Nine will work with you only as long as it serves him, then he'll deceive you."

"Okay. Okay. I get out of here, somehow, then shove Nine back here, somehow, then… do something. Somehow."

"See, you're starting to liven up already," his mother chuckled softly. "I believe in you, Naruto. Your father and I both. You can do it. We know you can."

Naruto breathed in deep. Those words calmed him like a magic potion. He even found himself starting to smile, shyly.

"So father… Minato, he's really dead?" Naruto half-hoped he could be locked somewhere here, too.

Kushina's smile was not as sad as he expected. "Not quite. He lives on in you… You look just like him, love. His hair, his eyes, you have them… you have my temper, though." She laughed. "I feel like I'm talking to him again, just looking at you."

There was moment, where they both stood silently, drinking each other in. His mother must have been beautiful, before merging with the fox. He could still see some beauty now. The hole in his life that had plagued him for years… Slowly, it was being filled.

"Okay then. How do we do this?"

*

Drip, drip, drip.

Sasuke's inner eyes snapped open, greeted by the darkness. He gave a small frustrated sigh. His mental probing for energy signatures was useless - it was too muddled and confused inside Nine's mind. How much time had passed, anyway? Hours in here meant seconds in reality, but it was hard to tell. He needed to find the demon… but something about the dark beyond the gate bothered him.

It would be pointless to remain here. Nine was clearly back where Sasuke had started. The constant dripping was really starting to piss Sasuke off. He was going to turn around. Really, this time.

Drip, drip, drip, slosh.

Sasuke almost didn't hear it at first.

Slosh… slosh… drip… slosh.

He whirled around. The sound came from the gate.

Sasuke slid into a battle stance. His sharp eyesight picked out details. A form emerged from the black beyond, wading through the water… growing to become a human, then a man, then… NINE.

But when Nine's fingers wrapped around the bars, they bore human nails. And when lips spread to form a smile, the teeth were blunt. And when words carried to Sasuke's ears, it was in a softer voice.

"Hey loser," Naruto called out. "Guess who's back?"

To Be Continued


	21. Chapter 21

Sasuke opened his mouth. Naruto’s eyes narrowed. Sasuke’s torso turned, Naruto raised his arm –

Rolling out of the way, Sasuke barely dodged the black ball of energy. He twisted to face his attacker and leapt to the side. Naruto’s returning volley flew past. It hit but had little effect.

Nine was barely recognizable – though it could be none other. His shape was vaguely humanoid, but his arms were long and his fingers were longer, and his ears resembled more a rabbit’s than a fox’s. He was grinning, though. Sasuke could tell because the cavity where a mouth should be was somehow illuminated from the inside, letting the silhouette of fangs stand starkly against the light. The eye sockets, too, glowed with a strange inner light. And the tar-black skin… if it was skin, it was melting. Fizzling, bubbling, something grotesque that skin definitely shouldn’t be. Nine was just a form of pure hate and evil.

THE BOY STAYS, he said, and the voice grated like nails on rust.

“Fuck you,” Naruto said cheerfully.

He dodged the blast, vaulting sideways and letting the gate absorb most of the attack. Sasuke slapped his hands together and conjured a blade of electricity, gripping it like a sword. He jumped to swipe at Nine, but a black form came cracking like a whip, and Sasuke barely blocked it. He gaped. It was a tail, growing out of what he assumed was Nine’s tailbone… but there were eight others too; moving, gigantic things made of the same stuff as Nine’s skin. They moved with a life of their own, completely defending the demon.

“You get uglier each time I see you,” Naruto yelled from further down.

Nine ignored him, a tail slashing at Sasuke. The soldier landed in a splash of water and attacked again, but was only deflected. He landed with his back to the gate.

“He’s too fast to--!” Sasuke started to yell at Naruto, then had to dodge again.

“I’m thinking of something!” Naruto announced, standing back. Sasuke made a noise of arrogant disbelief, and had to keep moving. Undeterred, Naruto grinned. His hands were cradling a simmer of energy, slowly expanding, demanding more and more…

Nine was not a fool. Turning to the blond he swallowed a gulp of air, spitting it back out as black ball of power. It sliced through the air straight for Naruto. Moving instinctively Sasuke was in its path in an instant, swinging his blade and deflecting the attack right back to Nine. It happened so fast that it struck Nine in the eye, making the demon rear back in agony and screech curses. The strange glow was dripping like blood from Nine’s eye socket and the skin around it was hissing and bubbling faster.

“Are you going to help?!” Sasuke hissed, dancing backward from the retaliating flurry of tails.

Naruto did not answer. Something new was being born. Something he’d never attempted… something he hadn’t been capable of. Sweat trickled down his brow and his arms trembled with the surge of power he sent through them, coursing from his very heart. The mental stream was no longer a struggle to control – it still raged strong, but this time it was easier, softer. Something else was helping him guide it. His heart beat harder, and the power just came at will. At some point he had closed his eyes. He trusted Sasuke, and he needed all his concentration for this.

Sasuke, however, was still active. Maybe Naruto had something up his sleeve, but they were still in the middle of battle. He couldn’t land another hit; instead he was forced to constantly defend himself and Naruto. All he’d managed to do was piss Nine off. Whatever remained of the eye-socket was a gurgling liquid, slowly spreading to the rest of Nine’s face. A crack in the shield. If only he could get past the –

“UuaaaaAAAGH!” Sasuke went crashing to the floor, the strike of Nine’s claws burning through his skin. In the blur of the moment he felt the rancid water embrace him, his spine hitting first, his blade of electricity fizzling out of existence... but not before a spark met a leaping droplet. The effect was immediate. The electricity spread.

“Naruto!” He tried to warn, struggling to get up – there was water in his eyes, he couldn’t see, but he could hear Nine, very close, thrashing in pain as his skin crackled with yellow sparks. Sasuke felt the pain too, but his body was used to the manifestation and he absorbed the energy back into himself. Hurriedly he backed off and wiped his eyes to see - Naruto was unaffected, as if the gate had swallowed the electricity. And between his hands grew a spinning ball of such tremendous force, it was creating a wind, stirring the water and his clothes. The light emanating from it was a dazzling blue.

“PEST!” Nine roared, seeing the danger.

Naruto’s eyes snapped open. They were as blue as his energy.

“You cause a lot of trouble, don’t you,” He said in a voice Sasuke had never heard. “I should kill you.”

The laugh was atrocious to hear. “LIKE YOU COULD, INFANT.”

Naruto’s eyes narrowed. “I could. But I’ll do better. I’ll force you back into slavery, feeding me your energy, never again able to escape.”

Nine’s response was to leap at the gates, tails lashing through the bars for their prey.

The gate did not let them. It glowed a strange rosy pink when struck, but otherwise created an impenetrable shield between each bar that did not let Nine land a single blow.

Naruto’s grin was vicious. “The best way out… is through. RASENGAN!”

He released his energy, so strong that the accompanying wind battered against everything. The blast was headed straight for Nine, who gathered all his tails in front of himself as a shield. But behind him, Sasuke saw the opening and jumped, throwing his arm back – when he swung it forward again he was armed with his electricity blade. It and the Rasengan hit at the same time – the energy tearing through the tails like leaves and while the blade sunk into Nine’s unprotected back, smoothly sinking to the hilt. Sasuke ripped it out quickly. The Rasengan ripped away Nine’s torso, dissolving it until Nine was a blur of blue and black, light and dark. The corridor was echoing with the roar of noise, so deafening Nine’s shrieks could barely be heard above it. Then the remnants of malicious energy exploded in a blast of black that forced Sasuke had to shield his face with his arm. Naruto stood defiant against the onslaught.

And then… Nine was gone. And so, Sasuke realized, was the gate. Sloshing through the sudden gloom, Naruto hurried to his side. “Quickly, we have to leave before Nine regenerates, and then the gate will come back.”

Sasuke blinked to gather his thoughts. “He’s not dead, then?”

Naruto winced. “No, I’m not actually strong enough to do that... uh, yet. Besides, if I did, my mom would go too…”

“Your what?”

“Yeah! My mom’s stuck in my head too. Isn’t that weird? She’s the one that protected the gate from Nine.”

Sasuke stared as darkly and incredulously as he could. Naruto grinned.

“I’ll tell you later, okay? We need to get out of my head. It’s crowded in here.”

Sasuke made a ‘tch’ sound. “It’s usually so empty. Take my hand, and look into my eyes.”

He activated his eye technique, preparing himself to be released of this mental world. But as their fingers skimmed and their eyes caught, something sudden gripped Sasuke, and for an instant he saw only Naruto, only him, only blue, pulling him in –

  
*****   


Naruto felt the cold seeping through his clothes and the gale nipping at his face, and knew he was back. He opened his eyes slowly to find Sakura’s brilliant green eyes looking into his.

“Yo,” he smiled.

She punched him in the gut.

“Whyyyy,” he wailed as he writhed in the snow. “I’m tender! Just got my own skin back! Mind being careful, you crazy hulk?”

Her lips were purple with cold, turning almost white when she bit them. “I expect more than ‘yo’ next time you get possessed by a demon, jerkwad.”

“Did you want an ode? O Sakura, most beastly of all she-wolves, your fists are like the – oomph!”

“Sakura, medics don’t beat their patients,” Kakashi’s voice drifted over the howling wind.

“He’s fine now,” Sakura rolled her eyes.

“And Sasuke? Shouldn’t you be worried about him?” Naruto slowly tried to get up, wary of more punches.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

Naruto turned to see Sasuke, awake and standing, giving him the usual darkest stare. He beamed at all three. “Gotta say, I’m glad to see your gloomy selves again.”

Sakura bit her lip again and launched forward to give Naruto a massive hug. Naruto joyously accepted it.

“You smell pretty,” he told her hair, peeking from her hood. It was crusted with ice.

“I’m going to punch you again,” it said. He laughed.

Naruto and Sakura detangled and he managed to stand up. The air was sharp enough to cut his nostrils and fuck it was cold. He’d lost a lot of equipment and he was a little woozy. But inside his mind was clear, Nine still weak and quiet. He felt… almost good. Or lucky. Yes, lucky to be alive and breathing.

“Good to have you back,” Kakashi clapped Naruto on the back. “Sasuke filled us in.”

“Alright,” Naruto nodded. “So yeah, Nine’s still here, but I should be able to defend myself better against him now. I’ve got stronger shields. And I don’t plan on dying again anytime soon.”

Kakashi’s visible eye crinkled with a smile. “Good plan.”

“Are we going to talk here all day?” Sasuke said gruffly. “We’re still at war, in case you forgot.”

“What happened while I was gone?”

“Let’s move out,” Kakashi indicated to the vehicle. “We’ll tell you on the way.”

They piled in, got going, and told Naruto everything. Akatsuki’s retreat, the emptying of Olympus, and the losses. They had not been ready for the ambush of Guards to practically annihilate their fighting forces. After the sweep, and finding that Akatsuki had indeed locked themselves inside their holdout, the remaining cells returned to base. Kakashi had already informed Tsunade and the higher ranks of Naruto’s wellbeing. He radioed in again to report his awakening. As Kakashi put the radio back, Naruto leaned forward.

“So the next step?”

“We inform Tsunade of the story with Nine. I know you don’t want to make a big deal of it, Naruto,” Kakashi said sternly as Naruto sighed loudly – “but it’s relevant to Olympus, and therefore the whole operation.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Naruto grumbled. “Another boring interrogation. So what do we do with Olympus?”

Sakura drummed her gloved fingers against the door. “You said we shouldn’t destroy it. So we’d have to let it be, and annihilate Akatsuki instead.”

“Leaving Olympus open to the next psychotic group who wants to take over the world,” Sasuke grunted.

“If you have a better idea, we’d love to hear it,” Naruto raised his eyebrows at him.

“The higher-ups probably have something planned. Stop acting like everything rests on your shoulders. Really, you two bicker at the slightest opportunity.” Sakura rolled her eyes. “Get married already.”

Sasuke and Naruto both shot her deadly looks.

The rest of the ride was silent. Just a pane of glass away, the storm raged as usual - though now there was a reason to it, and it no longer scared Naruto. He felt so much surer of himself and his actions. The blizzard barely bothered him; the mental tug was dim, almost nonexistent, like a lurking headache you could ignore.

  
*****   


Immediately upon their arrival in Konoha Naruto was whisked away to Tsunade’s office. Waiting for him was Iruka, Jiraiya, Tenten, Itachi, Shikamaru, and anyone else he’d ever care to see. Iruka and Jiraiya both gave him bruising hugs that brought tears unbidden to Naruto’s eyes – he had to blink them away quick because Shikamaru was smirking at him. Jiraiya even ruffled his hair like a child, but Naruto could only grin at him and swat him away. He felt guilty for the emotional strain he’d put these people – these friends – through. He knew what it was like to suffer a friend’s death – Naruto swallowed hard and cast those thoughts aside.

Once the pleasantries were through, they took their seats and Naruto related what he could. Nine had escaped, but now the demon was locked away again the barrier should hold even stronger than before, thanks to his mother’s help. The necklace was now just that – an empty gem, its protection used up. Naruto still wore it, however.

“So now what?” He asked.

“Destroy Akatsuki,” Itachi said. His traitor’s robes were gone, replaced with a standard Konoha outfit. “Their base is protected by both technology and energy. The doors have no outside override outlet – when in lockdown, they can only be forced from the inside.”

Shikamaru sighed loudly. “This is where I come in, right?”

Tsunade nodded. “More on that later. First the energy barriers – we’d need our strongest Special Forces units to negate it. Doing so would probably alert the caster, however. Then we have a small window of time for the doors to be mechanically opened.”

“What if we blast our way around it?” Naruto interrupted. “It’s still ice.”

“Depends on what we’d find on the other side, and besides, I don’t think Olympus would be that weak.” Iruka frowned, looking at Itachi.

“Correct. Remember, Naruto, that the walls inside the base are backed with steel.”

“Oh yeah,” he said glumly. Whoops.

Tsunade leaned forward and interlaced her fingers, propping up her chin with them. “So how much time do you think we have to open the doors?” She asked Itachi.

“A few seconds. Toby can teleport instantly. Even if he is not the barrier’s caster, he could immediately find out about it. All of Akatsuki would be in communicating distance.”

“We also need to consider their counter attack. I’m certain they have something else planned.” Jiraiya wondered, leaning back in his chair. “Itachi?”

“There are a few countermeasures I know of, but Toby is hard to predict.”

“Of course. We’d have another team to prepare for that…”

The discussion continued to fly over Naruto’s head. He yawned and turned to Tsunade. “Permission to go? I got possessed today, and I didn’t know this would turn into a brainstorming party.”

She dismissively flapped a hand at him. “Go. It’s nine anyway – have you been up two days?”

“Yup.” Time flies when you’re fighting demons and saving the world. “G’night.”

Naruto left them to it and tried to remember where his room was. His fatigue hit him all at once. Now his bed was all he could think about…

He found his room, and a Sasuke waiting for him outside of it. Curious. At the sight of him, Sasuke straightened from the wall and set his dagger eyes to ‘penetrate’. Naruto stopped short.

“What,” he sighed.

“Do you regret it?” Sasuke said bluntly.

“Regret what?”

Sasuke tilted his head.

“Is this Twenty Questions? I’m tired, Sasuke.”

“What – what we did. Do you regret it?”

It was hard to name. “The, uh. After. When we… …Wow, way to bring up sour memories, Sasuke.”

Sasuke’s expression turned nasty. Naruto backed off fast. “I meant about Gaara’s death.”

There was a moment of silence. Naruto hadn’t forgotten. He just didn’t like thinking about it.

“There’ll be a funeral.” Sasuke said quietly.

Naruto looked up from the floor. “Yeah? Good. That’s good.”

“So answer the question.”

The blond threw his hands in the air. “What are you getting at? The kiss? I don’t fucking know, Sasuke, I had just witnessed my friend dying. I was in a lot of pain. You were trying to comfort me. It doesn’t have to mean anything if you don’t want it to.”

Sasuke crossed his arms and looked the other way. Naruto was losing his patience.

“So you’re going to interrogate me now? Conversation takes two, buddy. What about you, huh? Why are you bothering me about that right now?”

Sasuke answered him by grabbing Naruto’s forearms and dragging him forward to meet Sasuke’s mouth.

Naruto was so surprised he instinctively gripped Sasuke’s shoulders hard, but didn’t resist otherwise. Sasuke’s teeth bit into his lower lip and Naruto breathed in deep through his nose, gathering the heat and the smell of the other. The kiss just tasted like… skin. Skin and warmth. He forced Sasuke against the door and released his shoulders from a death grip, instead wrapping his arms around his neck and bringing him closer. Sasuke’s hands slid to his back. Their mouths, too, became gentler. Naruto pushed his lips against Sasuke’s and stopped thinking.

  
**To Be Continued**   



	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke and Naruto have moments of mourning and something close to liking each other. Naruto finds comfort. Another assault on the mountain awaits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A recap of previous events:
> 
> The first attempt at a "final assault" on the mountain went awry. An army of Guards kept the invading force at a disadvantage. Konoha discovers that Akatsuki had perfected their methods and attempted to kidnap Naruto to make the mountain stronger, which would fuel their own monsters and inventions. Toby, a man with the power to distort time and space, captures Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara and forces them into Olympus' "mouth". Gaara dies trying to save Naruto, who panics and is "calmed down" by Sasuke (wink). After being "eaten" by Olympus, the pendant full of energy around his neck allowed Naruto enough life force to let the Kyuubi take over, saving him. Then in possession of Naruto's body, Kyuubi attempted to escape Olympus but was found in time by Cell Seven due to a locating chip (planted by Orochimaru) in Naruto's clothes. They returned to the base to regroup and plan another assault. Sasuke's confrontation of Naruto leads them to an interesting circumstance.

Fingers under his shirt, blunt nails dragging over his skin. A hot mouth.

"Show me –" Naruto breathed, but he forgot what he wanted. Instead he fisted Sasuke's shirt to drag him closer.

Sasuke hissed at his neck because Naruto had moved just right. It was too much. Nothing could stop them.

If he opened his eyes, Naruto would see the light fixture hanging from the ceiling, the bare walls, the dirty room, and feel ridiculous. The context of the moment would antagonize him. He wanted to forget. His eyes remained clenched shut, going by feel alone.

When they were done, they lay still, having simply dropped from where they'd stopped. It was tangled and uncomfortable. Hot and sticky, and Sasuke's warm breath bouncing off his neck made Naruto itch. Yet if he had really wanted to move, he would have.

Slowly Sasuke released him and turned to lie on his back. Naruto shifted to lay his head on Sasuke's shoulder. A warm hand brushed his blond hair off his forehead. The buzzing in his head had dulled, like it was smothered in honey. That was okay with Naruto.

They slept.

**LATER**

When Sasuke had awakened enough to blearily stare at him, Naruto kissed the air and said, "Good morning, beautiful."

Sasuke grimaced and rolled over. "Creep."

"You know," Naruto said contemplatively to the black strands, "Your hair looks like a duck's ass."

"Oh no, I've never heard that before," was yawned from a pillow. "Tell me more."

"It's noon."

"WHAT!" Sasuke sat up like a shot, staring at the clock. "You moron, why didn't you wake me?"

"And do without my bed warmer? I think not."

"You god damn fucking –"

"I'm kidding."

The resulting string of obscenities would have made any self-respecting grandmother yank on his ear. As it was, Naruto was not bothered. Sasuke was almost out the door when Naruto had to ask, "So can I call you my boyfriend?"

The boy leaned back in and glared. "Damn it Naruto! This… this stays between me and you, got it?"

"Ooh, an affair. How exciting." Naruto wiggled his eyebrows. "I better not just be your booty call."

Sasuke made an enraged sound to show what he thought of that, and left.

Today was half mourning, with the funeral commencements at 1100 and regular operations resuming after. "Half" because the base was still in imminent engaging mode. They only bothered stopping at all for the sake of morale.

Last night wasn't bad though. Sasuke was almost sweet if you didn't remind him that he was supposed to hate you. Naruto didn't press it – he genuinely didn't know if he wanted to kiss him with his fist or his mouth half the time either. Sasuke himself was so deeply repressed, he was probably more confused than Naruto.

He stared at the ceiling for a bit. Today would be easier to handle if he just didn't think about it.

It seemed to him that this misery would be less terrible under the sun.

**LATER**

The funeral procession was a somber affair. Although there were many dead at the hands of Akatsuki, they had families to whom their bodies would be shipped back to. Their eulogies were read rather quickly as their decorated coffins were processed through the halls, simply decorated with black flags and hangings. Naruto and all of Konoha stood at attention, one by one, lined against the walls, watching the coffins be carried by soldiers around the base. At the end of the line the coffins were strapped into pods and loaded into a truck. Due to the sheer number of dead, there was not enough time to commemorate them in full - the service they deserved would be waiting for them at home, in their towns and cities far away from this wretched place. As they passed Naruto mentally whispered "thank you". With every coffin that passed Naruto wondered if he had seem them, knew them, laughed with them. Each name belonged to a cell. Naruto deeply felt for the other members, watching their caskets go by, carried on the shoulders of blank-faced warriors.

It was easy to ignore death when you knew nothing about it. Not so easy when you knew the coffin passing by contained less than half a body. Naruto damned Akatsuki for their Guards, stripping these soldiers of lives and dignity in death.

When Gaara's name was read, Naruto felt his heart lurch, like a heavy weight settled on his whole being and dropped right through him, leaving him cold. If Gaara had family, Naruto did not know them. Only Tsunade's strained voice spoke of Gaara, of his strength, of his endurance and loyalty, despite all the hardships he had faced. Naruto wished he had been asked to speak, but he knew it was not in the way of things. He would have to enquire about where Gaara's empty coffin would be sent, and see if he could attend. Yeah, just knowing that Gaara's coffin was empty filled Naruto with ice. God, could there be anything worse?

If Gaara was not a friend, then Naruto didn't know what a friend was. He looked to Sasuke beside him, still and dignified, watching blankly as his comrades were paraded before him. Then Naruto looked to his left, to see Sakura blinking often. She, too, was on the verge of not being able to contain herself. They were most certainly friends. But so was Gaara. What if Naruto had lost Sakura, or Sasuke…?

His thoughts led nowhere.

Naruto was immensely relieved when it was over. The entire base was subdued, quietly dispersing and going about their duties. This brief reprieve of mourning would not last.

**LATER**

"Everyone," Kakashi said solemnly, once they had returned from the honorary procession. "As you know, we are one of the crucial cells. This time, the entire operation rests on our shoulders." His one visible eye landed on Naruto. "The plan is this. A team of Special Forces will bombard the energy shield put up by Akatsuki. In the seconds after the shield going down, one operative will manipulate a member of Akatsuki to manually open the doors to their base for us." – Here Naruto remembered Shikamaru, when he had invaded Naruto's mind and stopped his test from going awry – "From there things could go either two ways. The team is able to infiltrate and reach the Akatsuki labs and destroy them. Or Akatsuki immediately provides reinforcements and matches our Special Forces and their lab remains. In either case, one member is tasked with running from the fight, back through to labyrinth – and to us."

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke waited for his final word.

"We will be stationed inside Olympus, still near the gates. Upon the approach of the runner, you-" he points at Naruto – "must run back and do your best to get outside. There the rest of the force will be lying in ambush."

"We're luring them out," Naruto gasped. "But… how do we know for sure they'll follow me?"

"You're the last Carrier. They know they won't get another chance. If that's not enough, we will force them out."

"And if I don't make it to the exit?"

"We'll be running with you," Kakashi swept a hand to his fellow members.

"And if none of us make it?"

Kakashi's expression was unapologetic. "Then we'll have reinforcements in place. This is a critical mission, Naruto. Failure is not an option."

The four had a silent moment of contemplating one another. What was there to say?

Naruto had to crack a smile, because that's what he did, no matter how hard it was. "Good thing Sakura gave me so much practice, making me run away from her all the time."

She turned her head and stared at him like her heart was breaking. They were waiting for her to respond with a usual punch, but she just shrugged.

He didn't even try to look at Sasuke's face.

After the pre-op there was standard training and study. Rather than push themselves for sore muscles, they were given leave early to rest for tomorrow. Naruto dodged out of their room quickly, intent on finding someone.

He found Iruka by asking someone with a tablet if they could message him. They gave him a hall color and room number, and Naruto repeated it to himself lest he forget halfway there. He pushed open a heavy door and wondered if he had forgotten the right number anyhow; the room was dark. But within there was movement.

"Naruto," Iruka said, flipping on the lights. "Do you need something?"

"Nope." Naruto looked about. It looked like a home theater: plush seats in rows facing a large screen at the far end. On the ceiling was a large projector. "Never been in here."

Iruka motioned for him to sit beside him in the first row. "Media room. Want to see something cool?"

Naruto had always liked how his scar crinkled as he smiled. It felt like years ago that he'd agreed to join Konoha as if just to see this man's fatherly smile. "Yeah."

The lights went back off. Naruto was blind for a moment until Iruka hit some controls on the arm of his seat. Then the room burst into color. Rays from the projector illuminated not only the screen but every wall around them. Naruto could faintly hear the hum of machinery as the motors turned, but aside from that, the only noise was his and Iruka's breathing. The dots of light danced and flowed softly, then stopped and moved with purpose to separate positions.

Constellations. Naruto was looking at the stars.

"Been a long time since I've seen these," Iruka whispered beside him, weightless, only a voice. "Out here by the mountain, lots of us fall to seasonal depression. They make us sit these natural light sessions now and again. You know, pump some UV into us so the grey doesn't get the best of us." There was a pause. "This isn't a planetarium, but its close enough. I think this helps more."

The back of his head and eyes burned. Naruto told himself this was a stupid reason to cry, so he didn't.

Iruka's voice was all that grounded him to earth and even this hold was slipping. "This is a big place, but it still feels small and isolated sometimes. When I go off base, I sometimes stay up all night and look at the constellations."

His voice kept Naruto spiraling into thoughts as it spoke of calm, normal things. After ten minutes, he no longer felt the seat or the headrest. After twenty minutes, he no longer remembered where he was. He saw only the lights. When had Iruka stopped talking?

"I met my mother." When Naruto spoke, he didn't know where his voice came from. "Inside my own head." A silence bid him to continue. "What did she look like, before?"

"Beautiful. She was the loveliest woman I've ever seen. Excellent soldier to match."

Hot tears finally came. "And my father?"

"Handsome too. I've never – " there was a catch. "The most honorable man I've served."

A firm hand on his brought Naruto back, though he could only tell Iruka from the stars by the void of light in his place. "Your parents loved you so much they died for you. They wouldn't be mad that you came back here. I know – I goddamn know they would be proud that you are doing what you can to save everyone.

"Their death wasn't your fault. Gaara's death wasn't your fault. They did what they did to help you succeed. Your team will too."

Glad for the darkness, Naruto's tears dripped past his lips and off his chin. Perhaps Iruka knew, but he said nothing else. His hold was warm and reassuring. Together they watched the stars in silence.

That night Naruto dreamed that he was in a lake. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura were unconscious and sinking. Naruto did not know which body he grabbed first, but they were heavy and he was so tired. The water fought him. When Naruto stumbled to the shore, he could not see the other two. The water was turning red. He ran back in, frantic and splashing, but the water was heavier than before and he didn't know where he was going. He cried for help and the water filled his lungs. He forgot how to swim. Drowning silently, Naruto watched his own limbs still as two figures moved past him. They swam toward the red and vanished, but in moments returned bigger than before. They were people, and they carried the rest of his team clutched to their chests. One had a halo of yellow, the other a tail of red. With their free hands they grabbed him by the arms and pulled him up. He broke the surface, finding himself upon the shore. The rest of his cell lay quiet and safe. Of the two, his mother spoke. But her face was not a snout and it was free of fur. She was beautiful. She laid a hand on his chest and said, "We will be with you." Then they held him and melted into his skin, and Naruto -

Woke up gasping. His chest hurt. He pawed at his t-shirt madly, pulling on the string of the crystal pendant to draw it out.

It was hot and glowing, no longer lifeless.

**LATER**

Another judgment day loomed. Kakashi gave them a speech, but Naruto didn't hear it. They were once again in the garage, piling in to the Humvee. Naruto watched what seemed like hundreds of other cells disappear inside their own vehicles. Then once again the doors opened slowly, ominously, and in two lines Konoha headed straight back for Olympus. The missile-loaded ones went every other car, to disperse the firepower. Despite being two-by-two, after a half hour Naruto could not see their neighboring vehicle.

He pressed a glove to his chest where the pendant lay. It made him feel better enough to gently put another hand on Sasuke's leg when Sakura was not looking. Sasuke placed a hand on Naruto's own for a moment, then they both turned away.


	23. Chapter 23

Naruto knew they were close when his head started throbbing. He strapped his gloves back on when he had removed them - against regulations - for causing his palms to sweat too much. He felt like he should have used the ride time to prepare something. Organize thoughts in his head. Get things straight. Instead he had only stared and sweat.

"Olympus at twelve o'clock, two minutes." Came the voice from the controls.

"10-4."

Soon enough the car stopped and Cell Seven sat still for a moment. Sakura's hand was frozen inches away from the door handle, but she was facing ahead, eyes focused inward.

"Seven..." Kakashi said. He turned to look at them all and put out a hand. Sakura looked at it and placed her own on top. She looked not to Sasuke, but to Naruto. He slowly covered hers. Finally Sasuke, too, joined their outstretched hands. One heartbeat. Two. Three. Four. They didn't move.

Words came to mind. "We can do this." "I believe in us." "We'll be fine." They would sound too stupid out loud, though, hovering between them dull and false.

In the end none of them said anything, and when they jumped out of the vehicle their balaclavas and goggles were on, making speech difficult.

It had been how many times now? Three? Three times he had approached this leviathan. Olympus stood as indifferent as ever, and yet each time he was awed by it. He felt the usual summoning and the reactionary sickness.

Things had never gone well in there.

As always the snow was terribly deep. Only with snowshoes could they get to the first slopes of the mountain, then their short trek began. Sometimes Naruto could see a cell off in the distance, walking to their appointed gate. Or he assumed they were cells - visibility was at its usual low. He assumed that the darker shapes behind them were the tanks and missiles, powered on and waiting. The hike was short due to Naruto's lack of attention. Before he knew it, they were back at their gate, where he had last stood only days ago, ready to die that night. Now he was right back there again.

Kakashi dropped first. They followed in quick succession, and again Naruto emerged into the luminescent labyrinth. They proceeded in a determined trot. He spotted something in the dim distance, an uneven lump. As they approached, Naruto saw what it was. All the Konoha soldiers had been collected. The Guards, however, lay where they had died. Bodies of creatures both exotic and familiar littered the maze. Scorch marks and other damages were carved into the walls. One section had collapsed altogether, but the mountain miraculously stayed mostly unchanged during the slaughter of their last assault. He pressed a glove to the walls. Would an army's supply of firepower even be enough to bring down this thing?

Kakashi lead them by following the ever-present chips. Certain Konoha cells had been deployed recently to update the path to lead them to the entrance. Cell Seven, however, would remain at a predetermined distance between the gate and Akatsuki's entrance. On their way in, they marked a trail in the ice walls with ink similar to permanent markers – a liquid that did not soak into the ice or blot. This was their figurative string in a maze to find their way back should Naruto need to run.

"Halt," Kakashi commanded, not looking up from his locator. "This is us."

Naruto rolled his shoulders. The plan was to push hard. If they got in, they'd infiltrate and annihilate any opposition. If Akatsuki pushed harder, they'd give the command for Naruto to run toward their ambush. Their missiles and other weapon systems could not take out the mountain, but they could take out humans without a problem.

Cold and silence permeated as Cell Seven stood to attention, waiting.

A Special Forces cell, Four, had been deployed to mask Konoha's approach. They specialized in dampening energy, visual interference, and destructive sound interference – where one sound wave perfectly opposite to another sound wave would produce no sound at all. Several support cells supplied them with energy when their own stores depleted. The proof of their effors was above the main force, a dome enclosing thousands of soldiers.

Tsunade stood before them. She stared down the large titanium doors, the sole embellishment to the otherwise barren ice mountain. The doors, more than a hundred meters down, were at the end of what was once an ice hall. It had since been excavated and enlarged so Konoha's forces could fit in their battle positions relatively comfortably. They kneeled row by row, setting up their rifles and tripods, their cell leaders tense behind them. The rows of soldiers were tactically positioned for organized shooting and commands. Special Forces were similarly distributed. Backup cells behind them, Cell Seven included, would be called in if the tides of battle needed additional firepower – if it seemed that Akatsuki could be bested with a final push.

She raised an armored hand. Everyone stilled.

She sliced the air with her arm. Thousands of bullets and blasts of energy followed her charge. The intent was not the doors, but the energy barrier before them. The flood of sheer power was overwhelming. Within a few minutes, the barrier fizzled out, and Shikamaru came into play.

Iruka was with Control, coordinating the attack. Using their minimal transmissions Iruka relayed information back and forth between the cells lying in wait, either between ground zero or outside.

"Making good headway," Tsunade grunted over the waves. "Shikamaru's got the pumpkin-looking guy…. Toby. They're opening the doors. Standby."

Iruka waited with bated breath. Sounds of gunfire and battle filled his headset. A metallic groan came from the other end.

"Got him," Tsunade said.

The last update from Control had been ten minutes ago. Naruto looked again at Kakashi worriedly. They had previously been informed of the situation every five minutes. The stretch of silence didn't bode well. The small tinny speaker had been all the noise that echoed around the barren corridor.

Sasuke leaned against a section of ice, stoic as ever, looking down at his boot. His arms were crossed and one foot was bent up against the wall. Beside him Sakura also leaned, but her head was titled back and her eyes were closed. Kakashi stood not too far away, immobile. Naruto was the only one seated, with his ass long numbed by the cold surface. There was no conversation. His headache kept him company.

Finally a sound came from the transmitter. "Task force is in, enemy base has been breached. Toby has been subdued for now. Six Akatsuki personnel down, three to go."

Outside the entrance Shikamaru was guarded by Special Forces as he fought a mental battle with the mastermind of Akatsuki. Beside him Kurenai was doing her best to manipulate or at least hold back Toby's teleportation. Tsunade roared as a blast of energy sailed by her, catching strands of her hair. She had Toby in her sights, ignoring almost anything else. The opponent before her was assaulting her with thousands of thin blades like paper, and she had no time for that shit. Tsunade sprinted straight for her and reared back from the shoulder, slamming her fist into the temple of the blue-haired woman. Her face crumbled inward, eyeballs swelled, and the back of her skull gave in, spraying blood and spino-cerebral fluid behind her.

Tsunade had leaped over her before she'd hit the ground. A short distance away Toby was seizing and his one visible eye was rolling into his head. Around them carnage raged. Toby seemed to be fighting the capture, and Shikamaru would not last much longer.

Sakura was looking at Naruto long and hard. He cracked a smile.

"Casualties heavy. Shikamaru is down."

The smiles dropped. A fearful two minute silence followed.

"Cell Seven. Prepare to run."

Naruto scrambled up. He couldn't go just yet – the plan dictated he needed a certain closeness between himself and his chaser to be sure they'd follow into the trap. If it weren't for the numbness of his scalp, dampened by sweat then frozen again, all his hairs would have stood on end.

"Threat inbound to your location in two hundred meters. His teleportation has been crippled but he's fast. Wait for my command."

Toby was hurling towards them. With six of his comrades dead and backed into a corner, his only chance at victory now lay in capturing the last Carrier. Konoha was betting on his desperation to lead him where unimaginable firepower could do what mere soldiers couldn't.

"Eighty meters."

Naruto started walking shakily back toward the gate. His cell gathered behind him, tense, ready to move.

"Forty meters! Run!"

Naruto broke into a sprint.

The breath was ripped from his chest as he ran like he'd never fucking run before. He heard Sasuke, Kakashi, and Sakura right behind him – their pants and gear shifting as they hauled ass out of there. His rifle, secured against his chest, hampered his movements and weighed him down. If his hair had been ready to stand on edge before, then now his blood was turning cold. He could feel, down to his pores and cells, the energy amassing behind them. He let the maze blur around him as he focused on pushing his legs to the limit, but he faltered and turned when he heard gunfire from his four o'clock. Kakashi, last in line, had started firing on the fast-approaching Toby.

The man was ragged, parts of his mask destroyed and revealing heavily scarred skin. It still clung to his face enough to disguise his features, not that Naruto would have been able to see them from this distance anyway. His uniform was in tatters and streaked with dark patches. He was simmering with furious energy. His one eye was focused on Naruto, the bullets passing right through him.

"We can only hit him after five minutes!" Sasuke shouted, reminding Kakashi. Physical attacks were the most effective, but Toby's rage kept them all at bay. He did not attack, only dodged or absorbed, coming closer.

"Naruto!" Kakashi hollered. He unclipped something from his chest belt. "RUN!"

Sakura yanked him on and the rest of them continued running. It was harder with the lump in his throat. He was afraid for Kakashi, although he knew Toby would not spare any time to kill him if Naruto was getting further way. Still -

Behind them was an explosion.

Naruto's legs gave in, but both Sakura and Sasuke reached down simultaneously and pulled him up, throwing him back into his run. "Don't!" Sasuke barked. So Naruto kept on.

His goggles were coming loose, hindering his vision. His balaclava was making him overheat, his hot pants circling back on his face. Before him the walls of ice flashed by, the twists and turns of their path unfriendly and cold. His feet pounded on, step by step, following their marks. Soon they reached where they had no room to run three abreast. Sakura shoved him in front, slipping in behind Sasuke. Naruto knew why.

He tried to turn, a half-shout stranded in his throat, but Sasuke pushed him forward. Behind them Sakura planted her feet in a solid stance and watched Toby approach at a dead run. His robes were singed and his hair was smoking. His eye was murder.

The good thing about the bottleneck was that Toby would have to go through her to reach Naruto.

"They're fine!" Sasuke yelled, unclipping his gun and flipping the safety. "Almost there!"

The gate was ninety meters out, then he'd have to crawl through. He readied his beacon. As long as Kakashi wasn't dead, and Sakura didn't die, and Sasuke didn't do anything stupid, they'd be alright as soon as Naruto emerged on the other end –

Sasuke looked back and saw Toby. He was limping - Sakura had slowed him down considerably with her brute strength. But he was coming toward them, and Sakura was nowhere in sight.

"I'm right behind you!" He yelled over his shoulder. Then he stopped and swiveled, letting loose a hail of bullets. Toby simply passed right through them. Naruto had turned back to look, but Sasuke shoved him forward again. "Come ON!"

They were at the gate now. Naruto ripped off his goggles and mask. He looked at Sasuke, who pushed his head down. Naruto dropped to his knees and started crawling on his elbows. His eyes were burning with tears and he had to keep his head down to avoid smashing it into the tunnel protrusions. He couldn't stay back and fight this close to the gate – not only was there no room, but they were also so close to the ambush that it would make no sense – but he also knew what would mostly happen to Sasuke. His only chance was to time his exit just right so that Sasuke let him through only after Naruto had made it out. Then Toby would ignore Sasuke and come for him.

Sasuke watched Naruto disappear. He turned back in relief, now better prepared to fight. Toby was almost upon him. It was true that there was nearly no room, but nonetheless he threw aside his AK-47 and unsheathed his katana.

Sasuke's body covered the exit. He gripped the sword in both hands and brought the hilt up to his eyes.

For Konoha…. No. For Naruto, he was prepared to die.

From his point of view so low to the ground, Naruto watched the slit of light wobble closer and closer. He smashed his elbows forward, almost there, so close – his head broke past, his shoulders, his waist – he was clear. His thumb was on his tracking transmitter as he stumble-ran down the mountain slopes. Approximately four hundred TOW and other canons were on his position, waiting for the emergence of another figure behind him.

The air in Kakashi's lungs rattled, but he was alive. He pressed a hand to his side, keeping pressure on the wound. Toby and he had both tried to leap out of the way of his medium-grade explosive, but the blast still knocked them back. The heat and shrapnel managed to hit, but Toby avoided the blunt landing by absorbing it. He took off while Kakashi was still too winded to stop him.

Kakashi cursed and did his best to get up. He acknowledged the pain, compartmentalized it, and moved past it. He had to catch up to the others.

Naruto's sweat streaks quickly froze into prickly shards. The shrieking wind was so loud that it hurt his ears as much as the cold did. He could already see close to nothing, but the lack of goggles meant that flurries constantly flew into his eyes. The snow was knee-deep, his snowshoes and equipment back at the gate he'd just fled from, meaning that his running was more of a disorganized shuffle. He'd cleared the mountainous terrain and was now on relatively even ground, or what would be even under the compounded layers of snow.

His sense of direction was shot. Naruto jammed his thumb on the tracking transmitter again. Where was everyone? Where was Toby? Had he even come out the gate yet? What the hell was he supposed to do now?

Naruto panted, inhaling air that sliced the insides of his mouth. He fought forward, needing upper body involvement just to lift a knee enough to advance. He started counting. Ten seconds. One minute. Two minutes. Naruto's nose was completely numb. His gun was completely useless by the cold, unable to be fired. He unbuckled it with stiff fingers and threw it aside.

"HELLO?" He yelled. The gust picked up his voice and carried it out his mouth so that Naruto could barely hear it himself. Finally, he stopped moving, and turned around. Could it be that Sasuke had killed Toby? In this case, why had no car come to retrieve him? Why was no one here? Naruto huffed, squinting into the distance where Olympus presumably lay. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw a lump in the distance between flakes. He held a hand to shield his eyes. That was definitely something, further out in the snow. With all the precipitation Naruto couldn't tell if it was moving or not.

He walked toward it. As he approached, he realized it was only a large snow pile. Grunting with frustration, Naruto kicked it. His boot met resistance, but it cleared the snow and hit something that felt distinctly like metal. He kicked it again. Yes, definitely sheet metal.

Naruto had been outside roughly ten minutes. In the double negative Celsius temperature, he should be losing bits to frostbite about now. More than likely Nine was providing Naruto with some internal heat that would buy him some time out here. Still, he would not last much longer. Naruto started clearing the snow as best he could, with his forearms and legs. After two minutes he had managed to clear enough snow to get a look at the material.

It was a forest green. Right next to it was a door handle. The snow had crept in and lined the scratches, rendering the object recognizable.

"My car?"

Behind him, something landed with a heavy thump. Naruto wheeled around.

Toby stood before him. He looked like he'd been run out of hell, but his gaze promised worse for Naruto.

"This ends HERE, NINE!"

To Be Continued


	24. Chapter 24

"This ends HERE, NINE!" Toby bellowed.

Naruto wasted no time throwing his hands up and surrounding himself with an energy shield, a technique he'd learned from Gaara. Toby's blast still overpowered him and slammed him backwards into his car. The snow cushioned his spine, but not much. Naruto wheezed and ducked in time to avoid a follow-up. He jammed his thumb into the transmitter. Where were his missiles? His backup?

Behind his curtain of snow Toby laughed. It was a horrible sound. "They won't be helping you. I placed you inside an isolating chamber as soon as I saw you, Nine. You're mine."

Naruto had learned many lessons about believing the enemy, namely not to fucking do it. He set a probing wisp of energy beyond him and it bounced back after a few seconds. True enough, a simmering wall of negative waves were coating everything in a hundred foot diameter around him. While he was occupied Toby darted forward and threw an energy-laden punch. Naruto threw himself out of the way, catching some of the heat and groaning in pain as his outer gear sizzled. He could either try to tear a hole through the wall or take out Toby.

He estimated five minutes had passed, and used a Kyuubi-powered burst of speed to ram himself at Toby.

"Predictable!" Toby roared, catching Naruto's leg and slamming him into the snow. A leg came down and the force of the kick to his chest made Naruto choke – he had no air to scream. Desperately he called furious matter around him and directed it toward Toby, but they engulfed him and burnt away. Toby's hand grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up. Naruto scratched ineffectively at the hands around his neck. He could see one eye clearly through the remains of the mask - it was dark and swirling, promising relentless agony. Naruto focused all his power inside himself, turning his skin hot, feeling the skin almost bubbling and distorting from his bones. He felt the fire rushing through him, and it burned him too, but more importantly he felt Toby's hand start to sizzle. Both his hands grasped Toby's arm, his legs starting to kick less and less. Fire coursed through his throat and spots were appearing in his vision. But he focused his energy elsewhere, too.

"You'll need more than that," Toby started. "Once we are in Olympus, I will enjoy ripping you apart."

"I – have – more." Naruto choked. His hands, close together around Toby's arm, were not idle. They called forward a dark, unavoidable energy. At this range, Naruto could not miss. Toby's eye widened as Naruto seemed to be calling the winds of Olympus itself, sharpening them and guiding them into an orbit around his hands. The Sharingan. It slipped from his hands -

Toby launched Naruto away at the last second, falling away to avoid the deadly shards of wind. The windmill of death, a blinding yellow so bright it was white, hurled past him ineffectively. Toby ran toward Naruto again, but he knew that he had been had. Naruto had never been aiming for him. His attack ripped through the negative waves barricading Naruto inside the chamber of silence. He signaled the transmitter over and over again before having to brace himself for Toby's onslaught. He had to get out of here, but his limbs were sluggish with weakness and cold. He thought of Sasuke, and Sakura and Kakashi. Were they coming to his aid? A snowflake stabbed his eye. Or perhaps it was a tear. Or were they already dead and Naruto was a selfish coward who worried only for himself?

Toby came at him again, his attacks more furious and larger scaled. Naruto could only avoid them, not even able to throw an attack that would simply be absorbed if not timed right. Naruto roared with pain as Toby conjured pain from the snowstorm itself, enlarging them and launching them at him. His arms, thrown forward to shield him, were sliced open. Naruto crumbled and staggered around the mound that was his car.

"GAMES, NINE?" Toby shrieked. He was becoming more and more unstable. Naruto ducked around the corner, every pant slicing his raw throat. Toby's tactics were working - he was becoming too tired to dodge anymore attacks. Soon he would try to teleport Naruto back to the mountain.

Some sense told Naruto to look up, and there was Toby, standing on his car. He threw his arms out. A black swirling sphere appeared above Naruto. He felt gravity's pull start to be reversed. Snow beneath and around him lifted into the gaping hole. Beyond it Naruto could feel that mouth again, the maw of Olympus which had already once swallowed him whole. Naruto screamed, his fingers scratching at the car around him and desperate to hold on, knowing the car's weight would not hold up either.

Then something shot from the whiteness and buried itself in Toby, jostling him and stopping the hole's expansion. Toby swung around and launched a blast toward its origin. A form emerged from the thick curtain of distance and slammed Toby into the roof of the car. Sakura pulled her fist back and it crackled, fizzing with power. She wailed on Toby again, landing a solid on his face. The mask flew off, swallowed by the suction of the teleportation hole. He kicked her back and she went flying, but another shape caught her.

Kakashi put her down gently as she wiped the snow from her face. "NARUTO!" she yelled. She looked like shit, but still she was beautiful and alive in Naruto's eyes.

Instead of croaking out an answer, Naruto leaped and sent a spear of orange energy charging toward Toby. He absorbed it with ease, but the distraction was enough for Sasuke to descend on him. The katana swung in a deadly arc toward Toby's neck. Toby only dematerialized after the edge had already passed some of his flesh. Bursts of blood spurted upon the snow.

With Cell Seven complete, Toby would most likely not succeed. There was a brief moment where they regarded each other. Naruto's heart was hammering so forcefully that he did not even know if he was glad that his team was still alive, though he surely must be. Through the storm Naruto saw Toby's face for the first time. If it were not for the heavy scars, deformations, and shattered cheeks from Sakura's punches, then he'd be handsome. Naruto's stomach lurched as he was filled with hatred for him. Toby smiled as they panted, collecting their strength.

"Well then! I cannot bring you to the altar. I shall bring the altar to you."

He made himself incorporeal and focused on the hole again. Kakashi and Sasuke loosed a volley of bullets to no avail. Naruto felt the air change – instead of sucking in, it seemed to be pulling something out.

Cell Seven watched in horror as the air turned black around them. The day, previously a foggy grey, was swallowed into night. Everything rumbled. From above Naruto's Jeep emerged a jagged crystal, then another, until an entire statue came before them, growing as it was pulled through. Though rough in shape and made of ice, the forms of it were clear enough. As it was exposed it became more humanoid, with a head and open palms leading to a stomach and crossed legs. From its ice body grew massive shards, reaching toward the sky. It was easily one hundred meters and growing. But what was most monstrous was that the head, where a face would usually lie, only bore what seemed like a bandana wielding thousands of bulges resembling eyes. Beneath it was an open mouth and glistening teeth. Naruto remembered those teeth. He felt a thing so terrible that his mind went blank from fear.

Something jumped in front of him and shook him. Sasuke tried to wake him from the stupor, but Naruto remembered this feeling. This is what had eaten Gaara.

Toby was smiling. "Are you ready, Nine?" He jumped, almost disappearing out of sight due to the precipitation, and landed on the statue's shoulder.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto and launched them both out of the way, but it didn't matter. An inhuman shriek came from the open mouth of the statue. Or rather, it was the wind, being pulled into a spiral and reaching for Naruto. He felt Sasuke's grip on him slip, tumbling down his arms and catching his open wounds, but the pain was nothing compared to watching Sasuke being ripped from him. Sakura and Kakashi threw forward shields of energy, but it only slowed down the suction.

He was falling toward it. Just like before. Just like he had died once. There was screaming. Not from his throat, but inside his head.

_I CAN SAVE US_, Kyuubi screeched. Naruto felt nauseous, feeling something inside himself shift, the power in his veins racing out of him. Kyuubi was slipping, and Naruto's sanity along with him.

No…

_LET ME FREE. I WILL SAVE US!_ The demon fox thrashed. Naruto was being lifted from the snow again. _THIS TIME, WE WILL DIE! LET ME FREE!_

What choice do I have?

Naruto's necklace was slipping from his shirt and tugging toward the sucking mouth. It burned bright. It had emptied the last time Naruto had died, but Sasuke had returned it alive and new. How could that be?

**NARUTO!**

A tear slipped from Naruto's eye. He felt the presence of Cell Seven, Kyuubi, Toby, and the statue fading fast. He was suspended in midair and closing in. He saw those gleaming teeth. His claws had ripped out a man's teeth, once.

_I want you to save us, Kyuubi._

Naruto transformed. He felt the licks of flames growing out of him, into him, around him. The racing in his veins slowed and turned inward. The black fire engulfed him and coated him, solidifying around his skin. It grew thick and long, stretching Naruto past himself, his ears and jaw breaking and rearranging. His nails were ripped from his fingers, growing and growing, and his bones shattered and multiplied, bending until he was leaning forward on his knuckles.

Sasuke, Kakashi, and Sakura watched in mute terror as Naruto changed before their eyes. The shape that made him distinctly human was lost, replaced instead with the pitch black silhouette of a fox, but elongated and bubbling. The ears stretched toward heaven and his arms and legs were still jointed forward like a human's. His eyes blanked over until they were only visible as gaps where the blackness of his skin wasn't. Behind him grew nine tails, twice his length and trashing.

Finally, the possession was complete.

"Pointless," Toby screamed from above. "I will take you and rip your fucking soul out of your fucking body, do you understand?" He pointed a hand toward the Naruto-Kyuubi blackness and fired a crackle of energy. "I will conquer –" he fired another – "the fucking –" and another – "world!"

The possessed Naruto opened his mouth wide – and ate them. In a flash Naruto had leapt back to earth and darted up the statue, climbing more like a liquid than a creature. A tail lashed forward and struck Toby full across the chest, launching him off the statue. It had been five minutes. Naruto followed him, escaping the suction from the statue's mouth.

Sakura's mouth was dry. "What do we do?" The tide of battle had turned and Naruto moved too fast for them to be able to fire shots. Toby either bounced like a ragdoll or leapt wildly to avoid the tails, sharp and deadly like a scorpion's stinger.

Kakashi shook his head and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "The pendant – is that how he…?"

"I filled it," Sasuke admitted, gasping for breath still. "I found it and filled it again. I thought - it saved Naruto once, it might save him again."

They watched the black form darting around the statue, hunting Toby aggressively, so fast that it was able to withstand the pull of the statue if it did not stand still too long. "The statue," Sakura breathed. From where they stood they were far enough away to avoid the suction, though they were not entirely unaffected. The effect was magnified on Naruto only because of his guest.

Kakashi spread his arms out. Sakura lifted a palm to face his left hand and Sasuke mirrored to Kakashi's right. They stirred whatever power they had to come to the surface, pulling and forcing their energy to blend together before them. The result was volatile and dangerous. Above them Toby roared with blind rage and tried to goad Naruto closer to the mouth of the statue.

"AIM FOR THE CHEST!" Kakashi roared above the noise of their creation. Despite the absolute chill, a trickle of sweat carved itself in then froze upon Sasuke's cheek. Their sphere of energy was growing past the point of control. They let go –

Toby came crashing down on them. He fell onto their sphere and absorbed it all, letting it pass into him and into another dimension. His eyes were blazing. They were all fast, but not fast enough to stop him from summoning a blade of energy and ramming it into Sasuke's chest.

He went down.

In a blink everything went dark. Naruto was there, feet and hands planted in the snow, muzzle open and shrieking toward the sky. Toby reared back to finish off the other two. Every blast of energy, every shred of power, every malignant will was condensing before Naruto's scream. He pulled it all out of himself and formed it until it was packed into a single dot. Toby's hand was two seconds away from Sakura's face. Kakashi was one second away from firing into Toby's temple. The tails from Naruto's form came between them. Everything stopped. The storm was quiet.

Naruto let go.

BOOM!

The world exploded. Then it came back. Everyone was blasted backward hundreds of feet. A smoking crater was carved out before them, melting the snow packed for years and years. For the first time in his life Kakashi saw the actual ground of the terrain but it was charred black. He got up dazedly. His ears were ringing faintly, but he could hear nothing else. Blood trickled into his exposed eye. Naruto's tails had pushed Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi away from Toby, but he couldn't see them now. He did not know if any of them survived the blast. He staggered toward the crater.

A shape emerged from his left. Sakura came crashing toward him as well, her face burnt and black, but alive. They looked at each other and motioned toward the unevenness in the snow that indicated something had passed through it. Following it they found Sasuke, gurgling blood and struggling to his feet. Sakura caught his shoulder and held him up. Together they looked for Naruto and Toby.

The statue had been unaffected, being far enough away. But could it be that the blast had knocked Naruto into the grip of its vacuum? As Sakura focused on healing Sasuke's broken ribs and internal bleeding, Kakashi crashed forward.

He found Naruto, human and naked, lying still among the snow. His hair was matted and wet, he was turning blue, and he was breathing. Kakashi could have cried from joy.

A sound rumbled in the distance, but the deaf Kakashi could only feel its approach when it was close enough. It was a Humvee. Kakashi swooped Naruto into his arms as Sakura and Sasuke limped toward them. "That's all of us!" Kakashi yelled as soon as they were inside, unsure of the volume of his own voice. "Move!"

They evacuated, leaving the statue for cannon fodder.

Literally.

* * *

Naruto came to slowly. The world bounced, so he shut his eyes. It didn't stop. A pair of hands smoothed the bangs from his forehead. He shivered. Naruto wasn't just cold, he was so hollow and thin that coldness had no comparison. He was too weak to move his head, so it continued bouncing with the vibrations of the world.

Something warm was being draped over him. He caught sounds, but he could not understand them. He was so numb. So tired.

He faded away again.

* * *

Three stars flew across the sky, closing in. They found their target, massive and immobile. Doomed. The mouth of Olympus was blasted apart by the three missiles. The warheads ripped into the ice, previously formed from hundreds of years, and whatever malignant energy remained was swallowed whole by the blast wave.

Olympus was so shattered, stretched so thin, that it closed in on itself like a coral. Thousands of feet inside it, Akatsuki's lab rumbled. The vibrations grew until the equipment started shaking from their spots, falling to the floor. Chunks of ice separated and fell from the ceiling in a deadly rain. Inside the cages, the Guards were helpless against the collapsing structure. The earthquake decimated the walls and closed in on the base.

Whatever few Konoha soldiers were still inside were evacuating fast. The mountain was collapsing in on itself from the center.

Olympus was tired.

But it had all its children back, and could finally sleep.

The storm abated for the first time in hundreds of years.

**THE END**


	25. Epilogue

Months passed.

The sand gushed into the crevices of his feet, filling between his toes and brushing his ankles. It was ruthlessly hot, almost stinging his skin. He lifted a leg and shook it off. Pointless, sure, but it gave him something to do.

He pulled out the board from the sand and heaved it over. "You know… I was kidding when I said I wanted to surf," he grunted, staring ahead.

Sasuke also looked out at the restless waves, dancing back and forth in surges. "Well, tough." The ocean wind tugged at his hair and kissed his face, cooling the sweat on his forehead.

"Can't be that hard… you just throw this on the water and ride it like a skateboard, right?" Naruto grunted, mostly to himself. Sasuke shrugged anyway. Bastard didn't give a damn, he didn't even have a surf board.

"You're the one who's never even been to the beach before!"

"Stop stalling."

"Fine," Naruto growled. He turned to yell at Sakura, "HEY! WATCH THIS!"

She flashed him a thumbs-up from her seat in the shade. He turned back and pounded his feet against the sand as he ran straight at the water, lugging his board beside him, then throwing it in. He followed shortly.

But his feet slipped, swept under him, and he slammed stomach-first into the board, which capsized and plunged him in.

After a bit of flailing he got up and coughed out water.

On the beach Sasuke was laughing hysterically.

Naruto glared, rubbing his tender stomach. Sakura had taken off her sunglasses and was looking at Sasuke in surprise, but she was smiling.

"Asshole," Naruto pouted when he was at Sasuke's side again.

"Amateur," Sasuke wheezed, grabbing his knees as the hilarity overcame him. His whole body shook with it. Naruto could see the scar on his back, where Toby's blade had cut him clean through. The raised skin glistened in the sun.

Naruto kicked sand at him.

Sasuke staggered back and hacked, wiping his eyes. When he looked up he was no longer laughing. Naruto blessed him with a brilliant smile, dropped the board, and ran for his life.

Sasuke was close behind, and in five seconds Naruto was down, ducking punches. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm as it came down and planted his feet right on Sasuke's chest, pushing up and flipping the boy over his head. But as Naruto tried to run for it Sasuke got his ankle and Naruto slammed into the sand as well. He was going to retaliate, when Sakura caught his flying fist in one hand and Sasuke's in another. She looked down at them disapprovingly, peering above her sunglasses. "Really, haven't you had enough fighting? This was supposed to be relaxing." She threw away their punches.

Naruto sat up. "Yeah, I guess I have." Sakura sat beside him.

Sasuke brushed the sand out of his hair and sat on Naruto's other side. "I'll get you back for that later."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at him. "Sure you will, bastard."

"Loser."

His fingers ghosted over Sasuke's arm and tangled themselves in Sasuke's own. Sakura pretended not to see. The boy squeezed back and turned to look over the ocean.

Naruto did too, letting the sun's rays melt on his face. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. The gold dripped through his pores and seeped into his veins.

He was warm.

They let the silence pass comfortably. Finally Sakura looked toward her boys. "I can't believe how beautiful this place is." The beach had emptied as the sun set, the inhabitants being local natives for whom the place was a boring constant.

Naruto dug his toes into the sand. "Sure is. It'll make it hard to go back."

Sasuke squeezed his fingers again. Sakura chewed on her lip. "So you'll go back?"

After a long sigh, Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I think… I can't really do anything else now. Even though everything has changed." He pressed a hand to his chest. His pendant dangled there, useless and cold, but still a cherished friend. Inside him, the place that Kyuubi had occupied was empty. He traced the scars on his face. If it weren't for them, he'd almost swear this had all been a dream. "I'll have to learn how to fight without Kyuu- er, Nine now."

"There's no longer anything to fight for." Sasuke said, with a slight hesitation. But Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Really? You really think that?"

Sasuke looked at him a long moment.

"No. I guess I don't."


End file.
